The Alchemy of Fire: Arc II
by Shadowhawke
Summary: Arc II of a series: The nature of Fire is that it transforms, and so after the victory the Gaang must deal with the aftermath of ‘peace’ amidst battle, growth, self-discovery, and the startling changes and beauty of love. A realistic post-war story.
1. Blackened Fire

**The Alchemy of Fire - Arc II: **_**Rubedo**_

* * *

Disclaimer: Mike and Bryan, the show's creators, own Avatar: The Last Airbender, completely. I'm only showing my love of their world by playing in it.

Rating: T for now, just as a precaution. If there are any very violent scenes (and apparently, what I think is violent is really just child's play... ), then I'll be sure to post a warning ahead of the chapter.

**A/N** - As this story is part of a series, if you haven't already, it would probably be a good idea to read The Alchemy of Fire - Arc I: Nigredo first. :) Otherwise, I'm afraid this story will make very little sense.

To everyone else, my wonderful readers and reviewers, thanks so much for your patience in waiting for me, and I hope you enjoy this second arc. ^_^

* * *

**Chapter I: Blackened Fire**

* * *

_From reddened ash,_

_And blackened fire,_

_Come ready hearts,_

_To climb the spire -_

_Of rushing heights,_

_Of power great,_

_Of friends and foes,_

_Of love and hate._

* * *

The city of Ba Sing Se was burning.

For one brief, horrible, moment, Toph thought that she'd been hurled violently back in time. Radiant heat seared her face, making the blood rush in her veins. _... that's a lot of fire, isn't it? _And she was in the air, she couldn't 'see'...

And then Appa groaned under them, and she remembered. It wasn't her, Sokka, and Suki in a tiny unmanned airship against an entire fleet. It was her, Aang, Momo and Appa against...

"Twinkletoes! What's going on?!"

The city of Ba Sing Se was burning. Aang watched the scene with wide, horrified eyes, his hands slack on the reins. Flame belched from the shells of half-finished houses, the smoke trailing thick and oily through what should have been a clear, beautiful sky. But it wasn't the spoiling of the vista that clenched his heart. It was the symbolism, the hate, and the tiny figures far below, already adding blood to the fuel.

_Three old men sitting around a blocky table. One old woman with her hands clawing at the rain. Two young girls dancing through blasts of fire, the first sleek with water and the other sharp as steel. A mask of blackened flesh that crumbled away to reveal a scar. The earth shifting beneath feet to crush someone's bones to powder. The marching of soldiers' feet over soil and rock, inexorable and deadly. The smell of smoke and burning. Fire. Earth. Water. A child screaming. Someone laughing..._

Feet were not marching now. Aang could see the chaotic running, the frenzied panic of people scattering like dust in the wind. But only some were fleeing from the inferno. Others, far more, too many, were running towards each other, spilling more red into the world. From their passing, Aang could hear the screaming of the burnt, crushed and dying fill in his ears.

_All my fault..._

"AANG!"

Aang snapped out of his shock as a small, dirty hand clumsily grasped his shoulder. He twisted around to see Toph shaking, her small figure caught halfway between the saddle and Appa's head. Without thinking, he grabbed her fingers and airbended them both back to safety, where her relative sightlessness wouldn't send them toppling to their deaths.

Not that that move in itself didn't provoke a response from his teacher. "Aaaargh! Warn me next time, will you?"

"Sorry," he shook his head, like a man awakening from a sick dream. "It's just... Ba Sing Se is burning."

Toph snorted in disgust. "Look, even the blind girl can tell that! But what's actually _happening_?"

Aang felt her crisp demand penetrate through the numbness of his disbelief, his horror. He took a deep breath and settled, trying to inject some sense of reality into his voice. "Houses are burning through all three rings, but they're mostly the unfinished ones in the Upper tier. But there are people everywhere in the streets, fighting again."

Toph swore. "Get us down there."

"Okay."

There was nothing else he could say to that. Aang took another deep, shuddering breath, nodded firmly, and lifted himself back to Appa's head. Coiling his hand around his friend's left horn, he closed his eyes and felt the sky bison's fear, mirroring his own.

He swallowed. "Come on, buddy," he murmured, stroking his fur.

Appa paused, hovering in the air, and then went into a spiralling dive. About two meters off from the ground. Aang caught up Toph's hand and leapt. Both landed in unison, sending shivers of earth rumbling through the land, toppling already collapsing houses and engulfing the remains in dirt. And then they were up and running, following the screams, the Avatar's eyes caught by the bursts of human flame, and Toph's feet drawn by the heartbeats of hatred.

Neither of them, however, noticed the people skulking in the dark-lit shadows of the smoke, hesitating only briefly as they saw Aang's arrows before joining the fight.

* * *

He had changed.

That was the first thing that Katara realised as the door opened into the Fire Lord's private study. Light spilled forth from the floor length windows, illuminating the two awaiting occupants. Shen Li stood to the side, his hand guiding their entrance, but the form of the firebender in the center was directly in front of her, so naturally she focused on that. Focused, and felt a strange sense of wonder caress her skin.

Even though circles ringed his eyes and stooped his shoulders, Zuko emanated a calm, royal presence of power that no other could match. It shaped him, differentiated him from the arrogant bearing she'd once hated, and the abject dejection of the youth she'd grown to become friends with. For a moment, she paused, struck by the crown, the royal robes, the different aura of majestic control and command settled around him like a cloak. This wasn't the boy she remembered. That was her first thought, and yet, as their eyes met and she saw his mouth widen in an infinitesimal smile, she somehow knew that at the base of him, he was the same. The fierce, pugnacious determination that made him Zuko had been left untouched by the trials he'd faced since she'd last seen him, along with the passion he clearly felt for his country, emblazoned like his scar across his face.

But there were other, more subtle signs that dimmed her heart to relief. Zuko's haggardness cut a line across his brow and down his cheeks, accentuating his weary posture. If one gave him only a passing glance, missing the iron of his body and position, one might have thought they could make short work of him. That thought was enough to remind her of Mai's words, long ago, _someone tried to kill him..._

Suddenly, the relief swelled to an ocean inside her chest, and that was enough to make her forget the crown and the robes and the bearing and propel her forwards with widened arms into a brief, heartfelt hug. Against her cheek, she sensed Zuko catch himself in surprise, and then he returned the hug with a fierceness she hadn't been expecting. When she quickly pulled back, a quizzical eyebrow at such a seemingly uncharacteristic gesture from her physically reticent friend, his golden eyes gleamed back at her.

"You're safe," he rasped, and then shook his head at himself. "Agni... you had us all worried."

The first thing Katara felt was a surprised, warm glow. And then her own anxieties from days back caught up to her, along with the sudden jerk to the string of the soaring sense of freedom she'd managed to cultivate. Unbidden, a flare of annoyance rose in her chest and settled her arms on her hips."What, you didn't think I could look after myself?"

Zuko blinked, and then snorted, and the action was so familiar she instantly felt more at ease. "Don't be an idiot," the Fire Lord scoffed. "If there were anyone in the world I'd trust to save my people in a Fire Nation countryside crawling with rebel soldiers, it'd be you and your brother."

A smirk lifted up the edges of his mouth. "Besides, if you were ever caught, I'm sure the two of you could weasel your way out of there through sheer stubbornness."

"Sheer stubbornness? How about superior bending and strategy?" Katara hmmphed, but the flush of indignation had settled with his words and a real smile danced around her face. Her sense of freedom, of _knowing_ herself expanded comfortably back into her chest. She hadn't known what exactly to expect, but it certainly hadn't been this. This... trust. She'd left with the scathing words of Aang's disappointment scouring her skin, she hadn't expected to return to this. Then again, if she'd arrived back to a group of people who didn't believe she could rely on herself, she would quite probably have turned around and gone back again.

Feeling better, almost buoyant, she couldn't resist pressing ahead. "Besides, as if you can talk," she teased. "Last thing I heard, you survived an assassination attempt by the scrape of your teeth." Her growing grin at his sudden discomfiture hid the real concern behind her voice. "What happened, anyway? You stopped being paranoid for only five seconds?"

Zuko had just opened his mouth to retort, a gleam of pleasure in his eyes at the casual banter, when somebody roughly cleared their throat behind them. The two started, Katara turning to see Mai's calm, unreadable gaze boring through both of them.

"No, he had his back turned," she said coolly, her arms folded up inside ragged sleeves. "And that's what will happen again if we don't find out more soon."

Katara blanched, the giddy relief and joy that had soared inside her a moment ago now ashes in her mouth. "Oh, I'm... sorry."

Smooth as silk, Shen Li glided from where he had been standing by the closed door. "No need to apologise, Lady Katara." He paused, glanced around the room, and quickly strode across it to reach a small golden bell she hadn't noted before. Seconds later, he was murmuring to a servant, and before long, two chairs were pulled up in front of the Fire Lord's desk.

Katara blinked. Shen Li turned back and gestured to the cushioned seats. "Perhaps you should sit down? I'm sure you _both_ have a lot to tell us."

Katara didn't notice the sudden inflection, nor the way Mai stiffened for a moment before moving gracefully to one of the chairs. Instead, she saw Zuko's hand twitch upwards, as if he wanted to facepalm himself for forgetting such simple courtesies. A second later, it fell back by his side in a display of remarkable self-control.

Hiding a smile, Katara followed Mai with a grateful sigh and sat herself down, while Zuko strode gracefully to take his position behind his desk. Shen Li remained standing at Zuko's shoulder, but the difference in positions did nothing to quell the clear questions in both of their eyes, questions only amplified by their mirroring.

At that, Katara's mouth suddenly went dry. The posture of the men in front of her had settled into sober gravity, and it reminded her exactly what she was dealing with. While she'd been protecting the Fire Nation villagers as the Painted Lady, she had been dealing with individuals, people. But Zuko and Shen Li had been managing an entire _nation_, and that was enough to give her pause, to make her breathe.

_Where to start?_

* * *

Mai kept her face schooled, calm and clear as the men opposite her waited for some sort of answer. But inside, her thoughts were whirling. She hadn't expected Katara to leap forwards with such guilelessness and embrace her ex, and neither had she expected Zuko's response. Combined with Shen Li's implicit jibe, the events of the last two minutes had her stomach whirling unpleasantly.

She'd never enquired as to Katara and Zuko's relationship, even after she'd noted the former's surprising reaction to her offhand remark about the assassination attempt on the latter. She narrowed her eyes slightly as she surveyed the two of them. She could tell they were just friends. If not for the fact that their body language was casual, not intimate, Katara's words to her on the Fire Nation heath had made the situation fairly clear. But there was a sense of unreserved warmth between them, something that spoke at more, or the possibility of more.

Mai frowned as she realised that that wasn't what was bothering her. No, it was more the nonchalant companionship between them, something that she had never seen nor thought possible from Zuko. The casualness bespoke such a level of trust, respect and openness that old hurt began to shore up inside her, once again confirming her irrevocable verdict of ending their relationship.

Mai bowed her head a little. _If he never trusted me like that, saw me like that, then damn it, he never deserved me._

The thought unconsciously raised Mai's chin back into a proud point, straightening her shoulders and hardening her face. She didn't need another reminder of past hurts, not now. Unfortunately, the movement also brought her directly into the gaze of another. With a start, Mai saw her own eyes reflected back in Shen Li's cool glance, and then he arced his eyebrow.

That single move was enough to infuriate her into action. Mai pushed aside what she had just seen and leapt headfirst into the bog. "Katara and I found the rebel army's base shortly after Shen Li left," she reported, her eyes fixed firmly on her ex. Strangely enough, his was the less painful face to focus upon right now, and when she said the name of the other, her monotone deliberately lowered a few more degrees. "We got inside and freed your scouts, but the base itself was empty."

There was a moment of shocked silence, and then both the guard captain and the Fire Lord drew their breaths in a hiss. "Empty?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Mai saw the stricken look on Shen Li's briefly unguarded face. "Empty," she restated. "We even went through into the main command room, but there was nothing there."

Beside her, the waterbender stirred. "It was as if they'd just abandoned it," she added. "But not after doing an incredibly thorough pack-up. We couldn't find any papers, any information, _nothing_."

Mai saw a slight depression in the curve of Zuko's lips. "And the scouts?"

"We couldn't carry them on the basilisk with us. They're walking back now, though - it should only take them two or three days."

Shen Li uncoiled. "You didn't question them?"

_What kind of asinine question was that? _Mai scowled as she retorted, not willing to examine whether her irritation was at the question or the asker himself. "Of course we tried. But the head scout, Ling, insisted that he only report to the Fire Lord."

Zuko raised a questioning eyebrow at Shen Li, and Mai couldn't help but see the instinctive familiarity between them. The guard captain nodded with a sigh. "Although standard procedure is that these scouts report to their immediate superiors, I can imagine that if they thought their information was important enough, they'd want to report to you directly. It probably doesn't help that Ling was recently promoted and the rest of his men are freshly graduated, with all the zeal to match."

Katara bit her lip. "I guess we don't have much ourselves," she said apologetically. "But we thought it was important enough that you should know that the army seem to have moved their base. Hopefully... hopefully that means the villages won't be attacked anymore."

Mai couldn't help but shake her head at that, _how did this girl survive a war and remain so naive?_ and across from her, she saw a matching grimness on Zuko's face. "Hopefully," he echoed. "But it's probably more likely that they've moved on to fresher pickings."

To Mai's surprise, shock blossomed across the waterbender's face. Katara opened her mouth, closed it, and then groaned. "Then we've done nothing except leave more of your people open to attack! La, maybe I shouldn't have come back..."

It didn't matter that Mai was thinking something similar, she moved to reply. _Our mission was only to gather information. We've done what we can._ But before she could, Zuko cut across her instead.

"Nonsense," the Fire Lord said sharply. "If they've left their base, we can't do anything until we figure out where they've gone. And I doubt that the people you saved think that the Painted Lady did nothing."

Katara started. "How did you know about that?" she demanded.

Zuko cast a languid look around the understated opulence of his study, the royal trappings of his status, and smirked. "I _am_ the Fire Lord now, you know. My intelligence networks are unparalleled."

In front of her, Shen Li coughed, and Mai raised her own cynical eyebrow. Under both of their looks, the Fire Lord's smirk faltered into a grudging sigh. "Although in this case, it was an old farmer named Pauzon, one of the first wave of refugees."

Katara sat up in her seat, exhaustion forgotten. "Pauzon? Long white beard, piercing eyes, Painted Lady medallion?"

"Uh, yeah..." Zuko's eyes were distant as he matched the memory in his mind. "You know him?"

Again, Mai was struck by just how much emotion Katara could convey through those deep blue eyes. "Oh yes. He was in the first village the soldiers attacked while I was there." Her mouth compressed, throwing shadows into the room. "I talked to him the night before it was burned to the ground."

She paused, and the darkness faded. "I'm glad he made it here and now he's safe."

Shen Li and Zuko exchanged a look. "'Safe' might be the wrong word to describe the city at the moment," Zuko said slowly. "There's been a number of riots. After the last one, there were quite a few injured."

Mai almost saw Katara's heart fall out of the bottom of her chest. "They're not accepting you?"

It was more of a statement than a question, but Shen Li answered anyway. "Some," he confirmed. "Most of the aristocracy are not outwardly rebellious yet. Zuko keeping his father's Ministers has a lot to do with that - it makes them feel like their voices are still being heard. But much of the middle and working class were fed propaganda."

Katara furrowed her brow. "Surely you can just re-educate them."

Mai cast her a faintly incredulous look, and the waterbender flushed. "Look, I know it's not quite as simple as that. Still, the premise is there, isn't it? Let them know what actually happened and they can be the judge of you themselves."

Zuko shrugged uneasily. "Actually, I have commissioned a play," he said slowly, doubtfully. "Do you remember the Ember Island Players?"

By instinct, Mai looked questioningly at Shen Li. The blankness on his face told her he had as little clue as she. But Katara was leaning backwards, a look of disgust on her face. "You'd better not say what I think you're going to say, otherwise I might just have to waterwhip you back to the land of the intelligent."

Zuko held up a hand. "Hey, hear me out," he said, mildly affronted. "Look, I might not have the tactics of Sokka, but I'm not that stupid."

Katara's brow smoothed. "Sokka... where is he, anyway?" she laughed, half-knowingly, half-resignedly. "I expected him to come running as soon as I stepped into the Palace, ready to berate me back to the South Pole."

This time, Zuko did let his head sink into his hands a little. "Agni," he muttered. "I keep forgetting how much you've missed."

Katara looked at him sharply. "What do you mean?"

The tinge of apprehension in her voice was enough to sit him upright again. "Sokka's fine," he reassured. "He's just not here at the moment - there was trouble in the North Pole with Chief Arnook, so I asked him and Suki to try and sort it out."

"Trouble?" Katara's eyes narrowed, and Mai decided to stop being surprised at the depth of feeling the waterbender could show. "What kind of trouble? You do remember that Sokka's leg is still broken, right?"

"That's part of the reason I sent him," Zuko said. "Think about it. A city full of healers - he'll be sure to get lots of good care. Not to mention, the trouble seems to be with the tribes pressuring Chief Arnook for revenge. I think your brother should be able to handle it fine without needing to pull out a sword."

At her unconvinced look, he gentled his voice. "Come on, Katara. Sokka can look after himself. Besides, he has Suki with him."

Katara bit her lip, and Mai saw the moment that she decided to let it go. "Fair enough," she finally acknowledged. "It's just that... I'd hoped he could have rested more. That things wouldn't have fallen down around our ears so quickly." She clenched her fists under the table. "I can't believe Chief Arnook would... but I guess..."

Mai pursed her lips. She too hadn't realised quite how much the waterbender needed to be brought up to speed. "Before you ask, the Avatar and the earthbender have also left," she said dryly. "Zuko's soldiers in Ba Sing Se were having trouble."

Shen Li smiled mirthlessly. "And even here, the court intrigues have been... worrying, to say the least. I'm afraid that you've returned to a still very much divided world."

Katara shook her head, but this time there was no shock on her face, only a tantalising mixture of anger and something else. "I can't believe this."

Zuko grimaced. "It's not _all_ bad news." At their looks, he scowled. "I'd say that finding two Southern Water Tribe waterbenders alive counts as something."

Katara's eyes went huge. "Two Southern Water Tribe waterbenders... alive?"

Zuko nodded, but it was Shen Li who spoke. "I was surprised as you are, Lady Katara. But the Fire Nation records didn't lie. They'd survived prison for over thirty years."

Katara suddenly blanched, as if a bucket of cold water had been thrown in her face. "One of them wasn't called Hama, was she?"

The strains of Sokka's twisted tale echoed in Zuko's ears. "No, they were sisters called Kata and Kama," he took a breath and remembered. "Kata went with Sokka to the North, but the other, Kama, stayed behind because she wanted to meet you."

Confusion coloured Katara's cheeks. "Me? Why me?"

A moment passed between them, and Mai suddenly felt as if she wasn't in the same room, as if she was merely observing Katara and Zuko through glass. The gold of Zuko's eyes mellowed to warm amber.

"Why do you think?" he asked softly, but the words left unsaid were the more powerful. "You helped end the war."

Mai unconsciously held her breath. And then Katara sighed, and the volumes of what had been left unspoken faded away to mist.

"At the moment, it really doesn't feel like it's ended."

* * *

The ice of the North was cold, but the chill couldn't penetrate the burning ache already pressed around Sokka's heart. The Water Tribe warrior watched as Kata and Hama disembarked, the latter imperious enough to completely ignore him, the former sending him a wary smile before following her friend. He couldn't help but suppress a shudder at their passing. As they left his sights and entered the streets of the city, he turned away to survey the rest of the crew.

The red of Zuko's Fire Nation soldiers flashed bright against the snow. Sokka snorted and pulled his hood up over his head, effectively shadowing his face if he stood at the right angles against the glare of the sun. _Arnook's gondola should be here soon, _he thought. _Best to get everything ready. _

He turned, ready to go down to his room and collect the odds and ends he'd already packed. But before he could even move two steps, an achingly familiar face interrupted his vision, and Sokka swallowed.

Suki was white. White, red, black... all the colours of her Kyoshi warrior facepaint obscuring any traces of feeling or scars of tears that might have told him anything or everything. Sokka felt his heart jerk at the memory of what had happened only minutes ago, when he'd moved too late.

"_If you could choose, Sokka, would you choose me?"_

Much, much too late.

"_It's over."_

The Water tribe warrior closed his eyes briefly. But there was no reprieve. Moments later, her voice cut through the wind, and he resignedly opened his eyes again.

"Sokka?"

Suki's voice was clipped, cold, and Sokka's heart sank even more. He'd never heard this from her. When they'd first met, her mocking laughter had been infused with both amusement and warmth, and even when they'd fought before, the underlying care that bound them together had never been far away from the surface. Now, she was like dark ice he couldn't see underneath.

"Yes?"

She stood straight, like a soldier. Like the Captain of the Kyoshi warriors. "What's your plan for the mission?" she asked crisply. "I saw you whispering to the waterbender before he left. I know you have one. And I need to know if we're going to complete this mission."

So cold, so businesslike. Sokka forged a shield out of his own hurt, raised his chin, and gazed straight back at her.

"Infiltration," he layered his lazy arrogance on thick, shrugged his shoulders like he didn't give a damn. "We're going to have to blend in as much as we can, so I'd suggest you remove the facepaint and get into some Water Tribe gear."

He didn't really need to add the next words. In fact, they were stupid. Self-inflicting. But things like that had never stopped Sokka when he was hurt, angry and confused. "I told you the Northern Tribes don't like strong women, especially not those that can fight."

Instantly he regretted it, but then, he couldn't pull back the words even as they hung, frozen in the air. Suki's eyes darkened, and something dangerous glinted from their depths.

"So you need a weak, helpless, defenceless girl?" she snapped. "I guess you won't be needing me then!"

And twice in one day, one hour, Sokka watched her walk away. And hated himself for not saying anything, or at least, not the right thing.

_I'll always need you. _

He opened his mouth. "Suki... _please_."

He wasn't sure whether to feel a brief surge of hope when she stopped. So, she was still willing to listen, he could still say the right words, he could still make everything better...

She turned, and her eyes were still cold, and the words that had been in his throat froze.

Sokka coughed. "Please," he said, but this time there was no real pleading in his voice. Because if she was going to play Suki, Captain of the Kyoshi warriors, he was damn well going to play Sokka, dread wolf of the Southern Water Tribe.

Their eyes locked. "For the mission," he said.

He knew enough, just enough, of the traditions she had managed to teach him, to understand how hard it was for her to jerk her head in a sharp nod.

"For the mission," she replied, a bitter twist to her lips. And when she came back up from below the decks without her paint and wrapped in blue, Sokka only hoped that it would be worth it.

_For the mission._

He gazed at the jewel of the North spread out before him, the glare of the sun off the glaciers, the beauty of the sparkling structures. And he remembered what lay in store for them; the vengeful Water Tribe, a tired Chief Arnook, and his old foe, Hahn.

_For the mission, wherever it may take us._

* * *


	2. Shadow

**Chapter II: Shadow**

* * *

_What seems to be shadow,_

_May yet lie in light,_

_While the glint of an arrow,_

_May yet stay in flight._

* * *

"A word with you, General Hang."

The noble turned slowly, elegantly, befitting his station. And when he saw who his visitor was, an ironic smirk draped the edge of his mouth. Carefully folding his arms into his sleeves, he stood straight and unbending beneath his heavy robe. "How may I assist you, Chief Advisor Hui?"

The old man glided towards the General and the window behind him. Sunlight streaked through, both illuminating the Fire Nation Capitol below and casting some of its sleek red structures and sharp golden edges in shadow. "What is your stance on the refugees, Hang?"

So formalities were to be dispensed quickly. _What's the old lynx-fox up to now? _The General raised an edged eyebrow and decided to play anyway. "Do you mean personally, or as a representative of my rather... relevant portfolio?"

Hui joined him side by side, and the two men stared out at the city below. "Are you saying that the two differ?"

Hang did not turn to face him, only brooded with a sort of casual aloofness. Below, the commoners were milling, a sea of red amongst the grey streets. He wondered which ones were new to the city and its hotbed of politics and dead ends. "We are at... _peace_ now," he shrugged languidly, ironically. The words tasted like iron on his tongue. "If bandits are the worst problem we face, then I'm sure it's a matter for Sheng and not I where the refugees flee."

"I've talked to Sheng," Hui's voice was measured, soft, giving nothing away. "The influx of people is making his job much more difficult."

Hang felt something in him tense. "I'd imagine it would," he said outwardly. But inside, something was beginning to spin. _I paid off my debt to him with the asinine information he wanted. What does he want now? And what does Hui have to do with this? _

The Chief Advisor smiled softly. The action, and the benign glow it cast around the old man's face, did nothing to quell Hang's rising paranoia. "You have always had a fine eye for assessing the situation, General. I merely ask for your opinion on this now to enlighten me."

_You mean you want to know how I'll stand when the meeting comes around. _Hang licked his lips and stroked his fingertips against the underside of his sleeves. The soft, silky material was very different to the ceremonial armour he once donned, but this didn't feel like any less of a battlefield. _What did he say again in the last meeting? Ah yes. Providing shelter. _"In the current circumstances, I do not see how we can turn them away," he spoke slowly, measuredly, clinically. "They are after all our people. And with the fractures of the war's end..." _a war we should have won, _"... we would be inviting peril to split our own citizen's safety like that." _Is a rebellion what you want, old man? Or are you trying to prevent it? What do you want from me?_

Hui shifted. "So you think that we should take the risk that there will be not enough food for Autumn? Or change our trade policies to import more and strain our already strained economy? Will problems like these not also invite peril?"

The words could have sounded accusing out of anyone else's mouth, but Hang counterintuitively relaxed. So perhaps the Chief Advisor was merely sounding things out, as he had often done with him in the old days. Before things had changed... he had changed. Hang's movement to relax became a multidimensional grimace.

"Peril appears to be invited on all sides," he finally said laconically. _Good, good. That's good. Keep up the facade, don't think about the next hour, don't think about the need. _"But I do believe that the lesser immediate evil is to give them shelter. We've had news of only a fourth wave, and nothing after that, correct?"

At Hui's placid nod, he forged on. "Then according to the calculations brought to us by Duong, they will fill up the remainder of the city's limits." He cast an eye down at the vista before him - the crowded Fire Nation Marketplace, the twisting alleys behind the grandness of the nobel houses. _A packed, bulging city emerging from a war. Perhaps this is a relevant matter for my portfolio. _But then again, he'd known it always had been. "We will be strained."

Hui followed his gaze, looking down at the Fire Nation commoners below. Hang wondered what he saw in them. "Or perhaps not," he said quietly. "You know as well as I do the existence of the empty barracks. What do you think of my suggestion?"

It took Hang only a second to remember exactly what Hui was talking about. Outside the walls of the Capitol, crude garrisons had sprung up in anticipation of guarding the walls from the Avatar's attack. There would be room enough for refugees in their current abandoned state, and it would certainly lessen the tension of a city packed to its limits. Nevertheless, it also put them outside the protection of the Capitol's gates, and the consummate battle tactician in him instinctively rebelled at that thought. _What would be worse, a city packed to its limits or a demoralising slaughter of our citizens on our doorstep in the event of an invasion? Both would look terrible on the traitor prince, that's for certain. I wonder..._

He blinked. Hui was still regarding him, and he had to solidly shift himself out of the mindset of the General. _Remember, we're at peace. _The thought rolled around like a mockery in his mind. It had only been after the Avatar had defeated Ozai, after all, that he'd seriously begun worrying about an attack on the Fire Nation Capitol itself. The day of the Black Sun hadn't even counted - his and Princess Azula's execution of that had been near flawless.

But now?

"There is a risk with every decision we make," he said neutrally, but inside he suddenly felt tired. Very, very tired. And jumpy at the same time. Hang recognised the feeling and cursed, brushing his fingers along the underside of his robes again to calm himself. _Soon, very soon..._

He abruptly pulled himself together when he realised just how scrutinising Hui's gaze was. Hang managed to stop himself from paling underneath his already ghostly pallor by sheer will and experience alone. Hui smiled.

"Thank you, my friend," he said softly. "You know as always I value your opinion."

Hang eyed him warily as the Chief Advisor turned to move. _Surely that can't be it? He must have more up his sleeve. _

But then it seemed he didn't. Hui glided back towards the corridor leading into the wings of the Palace, and Hang's tense muscles twitched all the way beneath the pool of arrogance surrounding him. Every step that the Chief Advisor took away seemed to loosen the nerves in his arms. Perhaps it was what it seemed. Perhaps things were over...

Hui stopped, regarded him, and Hang's heart sank at the relentlessness of that gaze.

"I know you are a man of your habits, General."

Hang froze, and this time no amount of self-control, no amount of years spent in the Fire Nation courts and as Minister to Ozai, could prevent what little colour he had from draining from his cheeks. _He knows? He knows? Dammit, what did Sheng tell him?!_

Hui paused, as if he hadn't noticed the effect he'd had. And then his face softened. "Do try to take care of yourself. The Fire Nation needs you."

And then he turned and finally left. Left, leaving Hang's head spinning and his suddenly nerveless fingers clutching at the windowsill.

* * *

Somewhere in the same wing of the expansive Fire Nation Palace, the ever-present fire snapped in the corner of Fire Lord Zuko's study room. Outside, the morning was clear, fresh, and already hot - the sun burning down from its ascent to the precipice of the sky. But between the four youths, the air was cool, the burden of their passing pressing down on them like cold stone.

Recollecting her senses, Mai was the first to speak again. "Even if things in the other lands are going badly, we have other things to worry about," she said brusquely. Shen Li was the only one who caught her slight hesitation before she shifted her eyes to him. "That's enough from us. Have you found any leads on who tried to kill Zuko yet?"

The guard captain shifted his stance, just enough so that the shadow of one arm brushed against the other. The effect was subtle, but clear. "Am I to add spymaster to my already impressive portfolio?" He said it lightly, but the way their eyes locked told her well enough what he thought. "As far as I know, my father has been the one dealing with it."

"Yes, he is," Zuko affirmed. "But since he hasn't reported anything to me yet, I'm afraid nothing has been found."

At that, Mai raised yet another eyebrow. Out of the corner of her gaze, she wasn't half surprised to see her suspicion mirrored on Shen Li's face. _It's like you think in sync, _a nasty little voice in the back of her mind commented drolly. _What are you going to do next? Start swooning every time he's near?_

Luckily, Zuko's cough distracted everyone's attention from the sudden angry flush in Mai's pale cheeks. "Okay fine, so maybe something has been found but I'm not sure. I... I haven't really had the time to go to the Tower yet, despite meaning to." The Fire Lord sighed and rolled his shoulders. "What with riots happening every two days... if I went to the Tower it's likely I wouldn't be back until sunset."

Across from her, Katara's water-blue eyes narrowed. "So you're telling me that you have the person who tried to kill you locked up, as well as the leaders of the riots, and you haven't figured out yet how to deal with the people stirring up against you?"

The Fire Lord almost threw his hands up in exasperation. Mai clinically noted that he looked more frazzled than she'd seen him last. More animated. She wondered whether that was due to his grueling readaptation to Court ways in the last few days or whether it was because of the present company.

"It's not as if I can do everything myself here, you know!" he shook his head, irony dripping from his caustic smile. "I think our family has had enough of madness. No. I know how important this stuff is, but I have to delegate."

Mai spoke before she could stop herself. Not that she would have. There had been many a time she'd said something unsavoury to Azula's ear, knowing the very real and present threat that she might get singed for it. Now she had no such fear. "So you've delegated it to General Sheng. You know, the same man who allowed the assassin to slip through security in the first place?"

She almost regretted it, almost, when a heavy weight sank down on his features. Zuko slowly sat back, looking inordinately tired.

"If I can't trust my Ministers," he muttered, "Then who am I supposed to trust?"

It sounded half like he was talking to himself - as if he'd forgotten everyone else was in the room. But Mai frowned anyway.

"No-one," she answered roughly, before anyone else could. What was wrong with him? Trust? That was laughable in the Fire Nation Court, even amongst your own family members. She refused to acknowledge the little voice in the back of her mind. _Funny how you trusted him. Almost. And now you almost trust her too... are you getting soft?_ "Are you insane, Zuko? What's gotten into you?"

She ignored the sharp reprimand in her voice, and the way it made made him recoil, just a little, before he straightened and the distance sloughed away. "I don't need a lecture, Mai."

"Maybe you do." The room was suddenly warm. She felt Shen Li's gaze on her, his dark eyes strangely knowing, and Mai slowly curled her fingers into fists underneath her sleeves. "You want to trust your Ministers, the men that advised your _Father_?"

Zuko levelled his glance at her, and she stiffened under the combined force of both of them. "I need to trust someone," he said raspily. "If I'm going to get this nation back on its feet, I can't do it alone."

He paused, and something fell away from his face to reveal calculated determination underneath. "If I learned anything from my time travelling with Avatar, it might just be that."

Mai opened her mouth to reply and shut it. Anger was beginning to bubble up in her stomach now, at both of them, and she refused to let it dictate her words. Instead, she subsided, kept her face straight and pale, and focused on Katara as a distraction. To tell the truth, she was also surprised the girl had stayed silent for so long, just watching and listening. From the way her eyes were darting back and forth so obviously, from the slight indentation on her lip, from the expressions that chased themselves openly across her face, Mai wondered if the waterbender knew she was out of her depth.

And then, of course, she opened her mouth and Mai remembered she had to stop being surprised.

"How bad exactly are things with your Ministers?" Katara asked carefully. "You said earlier that none of them are outwardly revolting, right?"

Zuko pulled a face. "No," he said grudgingly. "But there have been plenty of power politics nonetheless. Most of the Ministers represent portfolios that will necessarily come into conflict with each other because we don't have enough money to fund everyone. Not to mention, there are a few individuals who have made it worse. The Minister for War, General Hang, has been openly disrespectful. My Minister of Security, General Sheng, hasn't been much better."

Zuko's eyes flicked to Shen Li. "No offence."

At Katara's questioning look, the guard captain shrugged easily behind his shuttered face. "He's my father," he explained neutrally.

Mai's eyes narrowed as she remembered. _How did you even forget? _she questioned herself irately. _Above all, his family is one of the highest in the Nation. That means he's an accomplished political player in his own right, not just an... interesting conundrum._ "In that case, do _you_ know anything about how his investigation is progressing?"

Shen Li turned to look at her sharply. It was only a second faster than a reasonable shift of attention would have been, but it was more than enough to intensify Mai's suspicions. "It's not exactly something one discusses over the dinner table," he said, his voice light yet again. "So no, not exactly."

_You're not exactly someone I should trust with anything, and yet you're standing in the Fire Lord's inner sanctum and I've sworn to follow him. _Mai was about to utter the words, or at least something like them, when Katara stepped it.

"Come on, this isn't helping anyone," the waterbender offered her hands palm up in placation. "What if... I don't know. The problem is that we need to find out who or what was behind the assassination and the riots, right? And if they were connected? Yet you're also unsure about your Minister."

Mai let the breath die in her throat and reaffirmed her own iron control. Shen Li relaxed slightly. Zuko nodded. Katara continued.

"Then why don't I go investigate for you?" she asked. "That way I can help speed up the process, as well as keep an eye for any discrepancies of this General Sheng."

She paused self-consciously when all of their eyes fell on her. "What? It's not as if I'm doing anything else at the moment. I..." something indescribable rushed from her face. "Everyone else is doing their bit. Even Sokka."

Zuko swallowed. "It's not that," he said hesitantly. "It's just that..."

"You're a waterbender, Lady Katara," Shen Li said carefully. "These are not the people who remembered how you saved their lives on the day of Sozin's comet, nor the villagers you've helped. These are people who want Zuko dead, and therefore would prefer you dead too. Not to mention the sentiments running hot amidst the city at the moment. It will be difficult for you to find out anything alone."

Mai counted internally to ten. "But she won't be alone, will she?"

The question hung in the air like a knife, or perhaps a spray of wires. Shen Li tensed, his features unreadable. Katara turned to her with a surprised but not unwelcoming smile. Zuko seemed to visibly relax, until he was just a proud, noble youth with a crown in his hair.

"You... the both of you have already done so much when you didn't have to," he seemed amazed, shook his head like a man waking out of a dream. "Thank you."

Katara made an unladylike noise at the back of her throat. "Oh Zuko, don't be ridiculous."

Her blue eyes were wide and unprotected, and so Mai could see the warmth leaking out of them. "You're not the only one in this. We all are, and you know you can trust us."

Mai looked at the waterbender silently and agreed. But then when her gaze slid back to the other occupant in the room, she paused.

Despite his relaxed posture and easy smile, Mai could see the slight ridges of tense muscle, strain in his neck. Something was off about him. She could sense it. And she thought that maybe Katara's _us_ might need a little redefining.

* * *

Toph ploughed through stone and mortar like they were dust.

It didn't particularly matter - certainly not to her, that the bricks and shuddering foundations that blocked and barred her way were both towering over her and aflame. She merely shoved her bare, calloused feet down, one after the other, and felt the earth mould to her will underneath her. One by one, the buildings that were collapsing were shored up, and she smiled grimly as she made her way through the streets. Whoever had planned this hadn't counted on her. The greatest Earthbender in the world. It showed.

Behind her, she could feel the presence of Aang. The normal lightness of his step was grounded by his short, punctuated pauses as he too reached into the earth and brought up stone - as supports, to put out the fire, to serve as a wall.

But in the five minutes since they'd landed, things had changed. Toph could already feel the disjointed heartbeat of Ba Sing Se begin to slow, begin to return to its own organised chaos. Sure, there were people still fighting, houses still burning, but it wasn't just the Avatar and his earthbending teacher trying to contain the flame and save people. In good, common sense Earth Kingdom fashion, the majority of the people affected had already located water, had shored up their houses, had joined efforts to beat down the flames, and she felt an unacknowledged sense of pride well up within her.

A sense of pride accompanied by one of practicality. Toph pursed her lips and sent earth rolling over another wave of flame, feeling the wet sod underneath the torn up flagstones meet the fire with a hiss of steam. "Twinkletoes! I think it's time to leave it to the locals and head to the more important stuff."

The reverberations of his surprise travelled through her skin, and she felt the earth he was carrying falter. "Huh?"

Toph loudly sighed, blowing the stone-dust off her fringe. "The worst is over. We've got better things to do than make sure more houses don't fall down. You know, like find out who did this in the first place before the trail gets cold."

She could almost sense the movement of his eyelashes as he blinked. Or rather, she just knew he was doing it in the sudden nervousness of his stance. His balance shifted, and then shifted uncertainly again. "We can do that later, can't we? People are still fighting..."

She felt him hesitate and knew they couldn't afford it. "They're going to fight anyway, Twinkletoes!" she firmed her own stance, digging herself into her element as she placed her hands on her hips. _For the Avatar, _she thought with a sense of affectionate disgust, _You really can be a dunderhead sometimes._ "If not today, then tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that. And what's more, they're going to _keep_ fighting until we hold the peace long enough for them to get it through their thick skulls that the more they fight, the more people die, and the worse it gets. And to do that, we need to find out who's trying to screw this up in the first place!"

She felt the waver, and then the sweet taste of success at the sensation of him firming and stepping in resolve. "Okay then."

Finding someone to lead them there was surprisingly easy. Not two minutes after the agreement, Aang's pace began to quicken. When she realised it was in the direction of what felt like a rhino and a lion-wolf tussling, she kicked up a surfboard of stone and surged ahead.

Still, Aang got there first. And in the seconds between his arriving and hers, the tremors of the ground and her ability to read them lessened somewhat by the fact she was skating forwards on an outcrop of rock, the rhino-like Earthbending soldier and the firebender somehow ended up on opposite ends of the street. Toph shook away the bangs that had gotten into her eyes and surmised that Aang must have blown them apart. And true to form, he was talking already when Toph got close enough to finally listen in. "... Commander, uh, Makoto, right?"

The firebender stiffened in surprise. "Yes, Avatar. You remember me?"

"Of course!" Aang seemed to relax infinitesimally, and Toph relaxed with him. She'd heard that voice before, and now she could place it to a name, she remembered a steady leader, one of Zuko's soldiers helping in the rebuilding process. "We saw you when we came to oversee some of the work."

"The work," Makoto spat, his voice bitter. "All undone now."

Before anyone else had a chance to reply, the rhino stepped forwards. "Thanks to you firebenders!" he clenched his fists, and Toph felt the rock being ripped from the earth once more. Just as instinctively, she tore them from his grip and sent them back down again. He jumped in surprise, and Aang squeezed into the brief reprieve.

"Enough," he said flatly, and Toph could taste the power surging from him. "Let's not go jumping to conclusions."

"Jumping?!" the earthbender clearly wasn't impressed. In a way, Toph couldn't blame him. Sweat rose from his skin like mug after a monsoon rain, and wet dust clung to its passing. This man, before he'd gotten caught in a tussle with the wrong firebender, had likely just fought for and lost his home. "What other possibility is there? Fire, destruction, and a whole troop of firebenders. The maths is easy when..."

"I think you forgot pissed off citizens, nobles, or even Earthbending soldiers," Toph interrupted darkly, crossing her hands over her arms. Even if this man had just lost his home, she wasn't going to tolerate idiocy when it was leading to so much bloodshed. "Besides, what kind of idiot Firebender would light a fire when they're surrounded by an entire city of Earthbenders?"

"Who else but a firebender would cause this... this abomination?!"

There was a gruff rasp. "None of my people would have done such a thing. Not only would it have been against Fire Lord Zuko's orders, it would have been dishonourable."

"Pah, _honour_! Where was your precious honour when your demon princess cut down our..."

Aang stepped in again. "Look, what's important to find out now is who or what started this." He turned to the firebender. "Makoto, can you tell us where the fire started?"

The Commander answered immediately, his words weighed down with tiredness. "It started in the Upper Ring at first, or at least that was where I saw it first. But within seconds it spread, and then another fire was lit in the Middle and then the Lower Rings."

Toph could almost feel his shoulders slump. "From what I've heard, all of them were started in the houses both Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom soldiers were working together to rebuild."

"Take us to the Upper Ring house, then."

The three of them turned to go, when a heavy footstep followed. "I'm coming too," the earthbender said, his voice brooking no opposition. Toph recognised at the edge of his tone a dark sort of sadism, one born of suffering and the bile of hatred. "I want to be there when you try to explain away your sins."

Makoto didn't bother to deign him with an answer. Instead, they began moving quickly through the tottering streets. Before long, Toph felt the smoother surface of the Upper Rings beneath her soles, and she surged forwards in the familiar terrain.

"Wait!"

She stopped in surprise, and thought the others must have as well. "Twinkletoes?"

He hesitated, and then blurted it out. "The fire," he shifted his weight to gesture. "It's made the stones hot here. Nothing to us because we've got shoes on, but you, Toph..."

Toph raised her eyebrow. "It's not as if I haven't just ploughed through what feels like most of Ba Sing Se, Twinkletoes."

"No, it's different here," he shook his head. "The stone's almost... melted. Maybe the flame burnt hottest at its source."

It took her a few seconds to understand, and then her heart warmed. Whether in irritation or gratitude, she wasn't sure. But then it didn't matter. The fact was, Twinkletoes had actually thought about it. An absurdly warm glow coursed through her chest for a moment, and then was dashed.

"Then we shall go ahead," the clear tramp of heavy boots moved forwards. Scowling, Toph wriggled her bare toes against the hot stone. She hadn't realised how uncomfortably warm the rock had been getting until her attention was brought to it, but now that she did, she chafed at the knowledge she'd have to wait.

Surprisingly, though, she felt only the barest flicker of hesitation before Aang stayed put. Again, something in her relaxed a little. He was stood close to her, side by side, waiting with her. If the air hadn't been so heavy with smoke, she was sure she could have felt him through the air too.

As it was, she felt the tramp of the boots coming back before he registered it. She surged forwards eagerly, not caring about the uncomfortable warmth against her soles. "Well?"

There was a pregnant pause, and then the Commander's voice seemed to come from further away, the vibrations thinned by the debris scattered around them. "We found the house." He paused again, and continued grimly. "Or at least one of the places the fire started."

Something about the way he said it told her that that wasn't the only problem. Toph frowned and tried to ignore the sinking feeling in her gut. "What's wrong?"

Makoto's heartbeat quickened, and then dropped. "No traces of oil," he said flatly. "No traces of ignition or fireworks."

Aang spoke before she managed to, but his question was the same. "What does that mean?" he asked, his voice small and childlike next to the commander's gruffness. Toph suddenly remembered the span of years, and how much and how little she had really seen.

And although he had asked Makoto, she felt the earthbender move, and heard the almost satisfied drip in his tone.

"It means whoever lit the fire was a firebender." There was a rustle of thick material as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Simply put? It means war."

* * *

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**A/N I** - What can I say? I was absolutely - happily - gobsmacked by the amazing reviews you've given me. From dear old faces to new ones, it's good to see you again. :D I must admit, it took me a lot longer to get to Arc II than I'd hoped, but knowing that you are here, giving me feedback and making me the writer I am today, as well as enjoying this work along with me makes every second worth it.

Thanks again, and I only hope Arc II lives up to your expectations. :D

-Shadowhawke


	3. Make a Play

**Chapter III: Make a Play**

**

* * *

**_Make a play and take the chance,_

_Join with me within the dance,_

_Bluff your mark and bet your soul,_

_Eat your heart and claim your goal._

* * *

"_She has returned."_

It was the barest whisper in his ear, but General Sheng heard each syllable like the clash of a gong. Smiling, he nodded at his agent, who returned the bow and then melted back into the Palace corridors. Still smiling, he turned to face the Minister for Culture, Education and Citizenship once more.

"My apologies, Noble Chinh. News of a, ah... family matter."

The man opposite him raised a perfect, curved eyebrow. "I trust all is well?"

_More than well. _"Abundantly so," Sheng finally managed to smooth down his smile, darkening his eyes to opacity once more. It wouldn't do to be too obvious, after all. Especially in front of Chinh. The man had never been a general, stopping his military education early on. But his high family position, his loyalty, and his own innate cunning had landed him an impressive position; the Fire Nation took Citizenship and Culture seriously, after all. Thus, it would have been most unwise to underestimate him, and Sheng had no intention of doing so. "But back to more pressing concerns. What are your opinions?"

Chinh pressed his lips together in thought. "Why are you asking me?" he queried baldly. "Neither are particularly part of my portfolio, after all."

_This again._ Sheng affixed him with a look. Chinh smiled and leaned back in his chair. "I'm just wondering, my friend."

There was a sort of hesitant challenge in his eyes, like a man testing the waters, and Sheng internally sighed. This might end up being harder than he'd thought, and he'd never relished uncertainty. "Part of your portfolio or no, the Fire Lord will request all of perspectives before he makes his choices."

He kept his tone blank, nonchalant, as if he himself had no opinion on the longwinded way in which Zuko liked to do Court. Granted, it was better than Ozai running roughshod over everyone, but it also left the new Fire Lord deliciously open to manipulation. "Besides, I do believe you are underestimating the extent of your influence, dear Chinh. The question of the refugees is one that touches all of us at heart as to how we want our great Nation to treat its people and its priorities. Furthermore, the, ah..." Sheng swallowed, as if he had honey sticking to his throat, "Peace summit, its location, and its organisation are of great import as to how we shape our identity in these troubling times."

Chinh drew his brows together. He was a slender man; there was little middle-aged paunch on his build despite his years, and the same applied to his features. Sometimes in the wrong light, his skin glinted sallow in the hollows of his cheeks. Now, as he sucked them in, Sheng could see the resemblance to an old, scroll-papered skeleton.

"A noteworthy argument, Sheng. But that still does not answer the question of why _you're_ asking _me_,"

The slower, changed emphasis made Sheng blink. In that moment, he realised that he had miscalculated, and he internally cursed Agni. Still, he himself had not risen to the vaunted position of Minister for Security for nothing. Sheng's face remained smooth as he fell back upon his second plan, mentally lining up the third and fourth as the other part of his brain worked upon the news his spy had sent him.

_She has returned. _

The knowledge coasted a wonderful thrill across his skin, a tingle of electricity that sparked his imagination anew. Sheng turned it into a look of deep earnest. "Why should I not, my friend?" He leant back into his chair, as if perturbed. "In these long days after the war has ended, I find myself worrying sometimes. We... we have built our lives upon the knowledge that we should rule the world. We have for over a century. Who better to turn to for guidance than a man who has spent most of his life studying and applying our Nation's very soul?"

Chinh interlocked his fingers and stared at them. "Eloquent words, Sheng. A passion I did not know you entertained." Something sharpened in his glance, and he looked up. "What do _you_ think, when you worry?"

Question upon question, barb upon barb. A feint, a flurry, a probing search. Sheng began to relax. This, he knew. "I think that the Fire Nation must stay her course." He searched the other's eyes and found nothing. He took a light breath. "I think that we should not forget who we are."

The words were ambiguous, but meaningful enough. He watched as Chinh nodded in understanding, but then was thrown by his next words. "And Hui?"

"Hui?" Sheng frowned. "Why do you ask?"

Chinh smiled thinly over the tips of his fingers. "Don't play coy with me, General," he said mildly. "It is clear that you and the Chief Advisor disagree on some things. It is fine for you to admit that."

Sheng's heartbeat slowed. "The Chief Advisor is wise," he shrugged, calm once more. Internally, though, he felt a glyph of glee leap in his chest. Someone had noticed. This whole play might just work. "But he has ever been the adapter. Though he and I share our love for the Fire Nation, our views are influenced by our different perspectives. Where he would bend, I would think that whatever happens, whatever obstacles are thrown in our way, we must retain our pride. Our strength. Our honour."

He stilled. Chinh was staring back at him now, the blackness of his eyes almost luminous against his pale gauntness. He decided to take the last, final leap. "No matter what it takes."

There was silence. Mutually, the two circled each other with their gaze, perceiving, weighing, rationalising the risks. Sheng found himself craning forwards again, ever so slightly, his features still giving nothing away. Whatever happened next, he was still certain in his own position as a consummate player, a fine example of Fire Nation strength. A sudden thought made him smile. And, whether his dear son knew of it or not, he certainly wasn't the only one.

* * *

Mai stared across the expanse of space between her and Zuko. It wasn't much, but it was enough to make her feel a little better. At least it was further than the space between her and the guard captain, and a part of her wondered whether to feel infinitely grateful or infinitely annoyed.

She decided on the latter, for a number of reasons.

"Look, Zuko. We don't need an escort to get back to my house." She refused to look at the escort in question. Ironically enough, it was so much easier dealing with her ex. _Now I wonder why that might be... _the traitorous voice whispered in her ear again. It was quickly silenced. "Katara and I will be fine."

The water girl in question turned and blinked. "Me as well? Oh... I, uh, I thought I still had a room in the palace." She turned to Zuko and laughed a little nervously. "That is, unless you decided to throw my stuff out while I was gone?"

Zuko looked mortified. "What do you take me for?"

Katara opened her mouth again, but Mai quickly overrode her. "Room or not, it'll be easier for you to get ready at my place," her gaze flicked back to Zuko. "If you insist on us joining you for dinner tonight, she's going to need to know at least the basics in Fire Nation courtesy."

"And politics," the guard captain cut in. Even without turning to look, Mai could feel his gaze burning into the side of her skull, and she internally scowled. It was much easier to ignore him when he wasn't speaking. "It would not do for any slip-ups tonight, not with all your Ministers attending."

Katara raised her eyebrow. "Just why did you decide to have a Court dinner tonight anyway?"

Zuko looked at them all and unconsciously began to massage his temples. "Oh bite me," he said sourly. "I just thought it might be a good idea to put on a united front. Not to mention the fact that the final meetings about the refugee situation and the Peace Summit are coming up soon. If they spill anything, _anything_... it could be of some use."

Mai shook her head. "None of those tiger-foxes are going to slip up," she warned him. "Not to mention, won't it be a little bit awkward for us two to attend? We've split up now, after all. And your Ministers aren't exactly going to let their guard down around a waterbender."

She was fully aware of how callous her words were, but also how practical. Still, Zuko and Katara both flinched. She didn't turn to see how Shen Li had reacted, but she wasn't surprised when she felt nothing at all coming from his direction save his intense gaze. She stiffened her shoulders. "You know I'm right."

Zuko frowned. "I was hoping they'd feel more at ease, actually," he nodded towards them. "If it were just me and them and their families, it might feel a little too much like holding Court. I thought that if you two came along as well, they might think it was less formal. Drop their guard."

Shen Li pursed his lips. "That's a gamble, Zuko."

The Fire Lord smiled thinly. "_Everything's_ a gamble."

There was a brief pause amongst the four teenagers for a while, as if they were all internally debating. And then Katara shrugged. "I suppose we might as well," she said carefully. Her eyes were narrowed when she looked up, and Mai was relieved to see it. "If you're so worried about your Ministers, it'd help to have two extra sets of eyes." Her chin lifted. "Not to mention, they'd better get used to having a Waterbender around. It'll be practice for the Peace Summit."

Internally, Mai reviewed her own opinions of Katara. It seemed like that was an exercise she'd been participating in constantly for the last few days. "We'd best get going, then," she said briskly. "We've only the space of an afternoon, and I'm sure you have plenty to do too."

Katara rose as well. "See you tonight, then," she smiled at both males, and Mai felt an irrational sweep of... something come over her. She bowed and turned quickly, not missing the second of intensity when Shen Li's eyes met with her own. And then they were out.

The door closed behind them, and Zuko sighed and cracked his neck. His bones made a sharp retort before he relaxed back in his chair. With a silent sweep of his robes, he turned to Shen Li. "What are you thinking?"

The guard captain's eyes betrayed nothing but a strange kind of exhaustion. "I don't know what to think," he answered, and Zuko detected the ring of honesty in his voice. "It... I can't tell you how much it troubles me that the rebel base was empty. And by the sounds of it, very large."

Zuko nodded in agreement. "

A troubled silence descended upon the two, each wrapped up in their own thoughts. Finally, Zuko's wandering gaze caught sight of an abandoned pile of paper that had been waiting on his table. He exhaled through his nose and tried to relax.

"Anyway, time for something a little less doom worthy," he snorted self-deprecatingly. "Depending on how you define doom, of course."

Shen Li raised his brow in question, and Zuko gestured towards the pile. "It's the rewriting of that atrocious play showing on Ember Island," he explained. He pushed the sheaf of papers across his desk, and Shen Li picked them up and began to flick through. "I just want to tell me what you think."

Zuko watched as the guard captain let his eyes wander across the words, reading in short bites and digesting the general feel of it. For a moment, he wished he could see past that blank mask, just so that he could determine for himself what was going on in Shen Li's mind. He himself had had a strange reaction when reading through the pages, and it would have assuaged his confidence somewhat if his friend had had a similar response. Even when Shen Li finally looked up, however, his expression remained inscrutable. "Are you sure this is what you want, Zuko?"

At the words, Zuko smiled thinly again, an edge so sharp it felt it might bleed. "In the end, it's not what I want. It's what my people do."

* * *

The two girls shared an almost collective sigh as they stepped outside Zuko's office. Katara shook her head, smiling ruefully. "Wow."

Mai looked at her sharply. "Wow what?"

The waterbender shook her head again. "So much hasn't changed. So much... has." She turned to regard her, a thoughtful expression bespeaking her own questions upon her face. "Do you really think us going there tonight will be bad?"

The Fire Nation noblewoman thought briefly. "It is a risk," she rasped. She quickened her pace a little, anxious to get back to the privacy of her rooms before they talked more at length. In her mind, Katara's apparent willingness to debate this in the open was only testimony to how inexperienced, and therefore how potentially disastrous, she was. Briefly, Mai wondered whether, had their positions been reversed, Katara would have ever survived in the Fire Nation court.

She had a sneaking suspicion that the waterbender might have ended up with a scar like Zuko's.

The thought was unsettling, and she wrenched her mind back to the task at hand. Katara was looking at her strangely. "Are... you all right?"

Mai tensed under the slim slips of her clothing. "Why wouldn't I be?"

She wasn't sure what she was more afraid of - the suddenly knowing glint in Katara's eye, or the fact that it was infused with compassion. "You seemed... uncomfortable."

Mai kept her face blank, but behind it her mind was churning. She wasn't sure what to say, suddenly. How could she explain it? The... tension, for the lack of a better term, between her and the guard captain. The sudden distrust she felt. Ever since they'd found the scouts she'd felt incredibly twitchy. The thought crossed her mind that even if she could explain it, she wasn't sure whether she wanted to.

Katara saved her the trouble, speaking before she could think of anything. "You know, you weren't alone."

Her mouth was a wry smile, and Mai was suddenly struck by the echo. She'd heard those words from this girl before, less than a few days ago. She wasn't sure whether to feel comforted or not. The memory of Katara in Zuko's study confirmed her indecision. "You didn't seem so to me."

The other girl didn't seem to pick up on the implications. Or if she did, she brightly ignored it. "I wasn't aware I was such a good actor," she shrugged, and turned those deep blue eyes on her. "But really. If you want to talk, you know you can."

Her voice was filled with understanding. For some reason, given the way that she had already begun to change, to open, at this moment it just grated on Mai's nerves. Mai opened her mouth to reply, not quite sure what she was going to say. With the inexplicable sense of antagonism towards a certain guard captain still simmering in her belly, however, it was quite likely going to be something along the lines of it being none of the waterbender's business. But luckily, before the words could take shape, she was interrupted by the arrival of a pink ball of bounciness.

Uncharacteristically, Mai felt the annoyance drop away, and even a tiny smile worm its way across her mouth. "Ty Lee."

"Mai!" the acrobat was ecstatic, arms flinging around to wrap her close. "I heard you were back! Are you all right? You're not hurt, are you? Did you..."

The smile quickly dropped from her face. In a fighter's move, she pulled away and threw a hand up in the same motion. Ty Lee skittered back in surprise, her eyes coming up to meet Mai's slitted amber ones.

"Are you insane?" her voice was a harsh whisper.

The look that followed was enough to put silence in the air. Ty Lee swallowed and jumped straight nervously. Mai swept past, noticing Katara's surprised look. Under her breath, she muttered to both of them. "We'll talk in my house. Move quickly. We don't want to be seen together for too long."

Ty Lee immediately snapped to attention. Katara was a little less subtle. "What do you mean? It's not like half the city hasn't already..."

Mai tried to silence her with a glare, it didn't work. A discrete twitch of stubbornness settled across Katara's face. "Seriously, this is ridiculous..."

Mai contemplated what approach to take. She could continue on as she was, barking orders under her throat like a Fire Nation noble. Like Azula. It didn't appear to be working. A flush began to work across her face. They were back in the city now, and what seemed ridiculous was that Katara wasn't deferring to _her_. The high-born noble. The one who could have been Fire Lady.

The thought hovered in her mind, and then was dashed. It was a symptom of her old mindset, one that had been slowly shattered apart. From the very first moment she had met Katara across a battlefield, things had been different. She had grown into a worthy enemy. They had saved each others lives.

Mai suddenly caught her breath. _She was not going to end up like Azula. _She thought instead of the strange, almost awkward camaraderie that had sprung up between them. She thought of the feelings that had awakened in prison, and of the way they had been magnified by the waterbender in front of her. The waterbender, Zuko, and someone else, but she preferred not to think of that.

"Please," she said instead. The word rasped from her throat strangely. It tasted foreign on her tongue. "Trust me."

She wasn't sure how to feel when Katara stopped mid-tirade. She was even more confused when Ty Lee gave her a sidelong glance of surprise. She only knew that the silence as they walked quickly through the rest of the Palace and down to the city was bizarrely companionable, given that she was used to an atmosphere shot with lightning.

It wasn't long before the gates of her house loomed before them. For once, she was almost grateful at the sight. Flanked by Ty Lee and Katara, she didn't even think about the place as a prison, or even as boring. Instead, at the moment, it would serve as a safe house for them, free from prying ears and questionable guard captains. She almost smiled at the thought.

When they crossed over the threshold, and the butler got over his surprise at Katara's presence, Mai learnt that her parents were out. Unconsciously, the knot of tension in her stomach relaxed even further. Of course, when they finally got to her room and she flipped the lock, it was quickly replaced by a rumble.

Startled, Mai realised that they hadn't eaten anything substantial for at least a few days. For a moment, she was disconcerted. _Maybe that's why you were off your game just before, _the voice taunted. _You had to be off your game if Katara noticed. _

She shook her head and irritably banished it. "Ty Lee, can you get us some food?" her skin chose to itch at that moment, reminding her of hidden dirt and dust, and she wrinkled her nose. "And maybe arrange the servants to draw two baths in my room?"

Her friend didn't hesitate. "Sure thing!" she grinned. "I'll be back with baked goodies and hot water." She winked. "And don't worry, I'll be quick. After all, I _do_ remember all the shortcuts in your house to the kitchen."

Mai chuckled dryly. "I wouldn't expect any less from you, Ty Lee." The look passed between them. _I'll explain more later._

_I know._

As she cartwheeled out of the room, Mai let a drop of tenderness soften her stance for a moment. In the days that had passed, she had to admit she had missed her friend. There had been a time when they had been inseparable, above and beyond Azula, and it was that long-forgotten memory that gentled her now.

Still, there was little time to dwell on that. Katara stirred uncomfortably in front of her, reminding her of the task at hand, and the softness vanished.

Mai pulled her sleeves together, and when she spoke, her voice was droll. "Now, where to start?" Her eyes travelled up and down, taking in every inch of her subject. On the way into the city, Katara had thrown a travelling cloak to hide her tattered Painted Lady garments, and it clung around her now like a ragged blanket. Her blue eyes were wide and bright, almost scarily youthful set in the tan of her face. "After all, we have a lot to get through,"

Katara scowled and crossed her own arms. "I'm not a complete _peasant_," she objected. Her sarcastic, almost dirty emphasis on the last word made Mai snort. Katara glared in return. "And even if I was, it certainly doesn't matter. I've eaten with Kings and Chiefs, I'll have you know. Not to mention some of the greatest benders on the planet. I..."

"I'm not just talking table manners," Mai cut across her cleanly, her voice a rasp of neutrality. "I'm talking knowing who's who. You don't want to make yourself look like an idiot if you gape after not knowing what to expect. Remember, you're not just representing yourself, or your nation, or even the Avatar. As Zuko's..." she paused, frowning as she tried to find the right word, "... ally, in a way you're representing him. And given his shaky position at the moment, we can't afford any slips."

She expected a suddenly crestfallen look. That, or an expression of sheer blankness, which would allow her to roll her eyes and explain again. Instead, what she got was a sudden calculating flash behind those blue eyes, one that mixed emotion with feeling and determination. With a start, Mai realised that her old and surface biases about the waterbender were resurfacing. She wasn't just compassionate, _weak, _or blindly devoted, _stupid. _She had played a vital part in her little group of rag-tag orphans and the Avatar for almost a year, and that meant that there had to be some cunning, wily streak in her that she was discounting. Mai frowned as the memories returned. Not to mention, she had beaten Zuko after less than a few week's training at the North Pole, gone against highly trained members of the Fire Nation Army singlehandedly as the Painted Lady, and had killed Azula.

Mai thought. Though Katara might be naive in some respects, she grudgingly had to admit that it was likely she'd catch on quickly. Which, in the current circumstances, had to be a good thing. As her mind turned to the question of tonight, she thought of the old dragon-hawks she remembered. Of her father. Of Shen Li's father. Of Chief Advisor Hui. She thought of the ancient family lines of the Fire Nation Court, and saw them arranged around the youth of Zuko, standing proudly in the middle. She thought of herself in the background, of Shen Li. And of this half-naive, half-shrewd beyond belief water peasant in front of her.

Mai picked up the brush. "We'll start with your hair," she said, in a voice that brooked no opposition. "And then I'm going to tell you what food to expect, and what cutlery you should use."

Katara wrinkled her nose. "That... sounds rather boring."

Mai began to work the brush through her long brown hair. From her vantage point behind the waterbender, she knew that Katara could not see the slash of a smile across her lips. "Not really. It's a Fire Nation Court dinner. You'll need to learn how to use your knives."

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A/N - Eh, I'm sorry I haven't been updating as frequently as I've wanted to, and that this is shorter than I'd prefer. I guess I'm trying to juggle too much at the moment - I've been going through a bit of a strange phase that's been kindly dubbed 'development', but feels more like crashing around in the dark wondering where my life went and where it's supposed to go. If my writing has suffered for it, please do let me know - I've always thought quality over quantity is better, and I'd love to hear your opinions and feedback.

That said, thank you so much for your reviews yet again. :D I really can't say how great it is to hear from you. Thanks again for making this journey so much more amazing.

-Shadowhawke


	4. Masquerade

**Chapter III: Masquerade**

* * *

_There's a ball that's hit the town,_

_Coiffed and masked with robes and gowns,_

_But cloth can't hide the hungry frown,_

_Of those searching to reach the crown,_

_So masquerade your power renowned,_

_And come on down, yes -_

_Come on down._

* * *

There were no knives.

Not of the literal sort, anyway. Katara realised that quickly, and in a way was grateful. From Mai's stories and Ty Lee's overly bright interjections given the subject matter, it seemed that Court dinners were weighted enough without potentially deadly weaponry being near at hand. Especially given the current shaky grip of the Fire Lord. She surveyed the people around her with narrowed eyes.

Three hours hadn't been quite enough to drill everything into her head, but she knew enough to recognise most of the faces. As the Avatar's waterbender and Zuko's guest, she sat up close to the head of the table, trying not to twitch nervously amongst his highest courtiers. Mai sat a few places down from her, her dry voice occasionally weaving above the general chatter. Between them was the Minister for Trade and Economy, Liu, and his wife Kaeda. Across from them, General Sheng sat between Nobleman Chin, the Minister for Culture, Education and Citizenship, and Lord Ren, the Minister for Foreign Affairs. All of them were blooded with aristocracy, and she could almost feel the disdain trickling down their gazes to slime her skin whenever they looked her way.

Katara took a breath. No, she was just imagining things. Chin was noticeably aloof and superior, but she supposed that was just the Fire Nation way. Ren seemed to eye everyone as if they were a number or a tile on a Pai Sho board, so she didn't feel left out at least. Liu just looked bored and jumpy, but perhaps that was because of the contrast he made with his wife. In her beautiful red and gold robes, Kaeda could have been just another of the gorgeous, deadly flowers seated at the table tonight. But Katara could see that the intelligence burning in her eyes was matched by an almost ruthless practicality, untouched by pettiness or short term vindication. She was also probably a decade or two older than many of the younger girls present tonight, and the experience and calculated balance showed. The thought suddenly struck her that the younger girls were likely here to be paraded by their fathers in front of Zuko, and her rice soured in her mouth.

_They certainly don't need real knives, do they?._

The thought clung to her stickily like sweat, and she tried to shrug it off. In truth, though, she'd been worried ever since Ty Lee had confided to Mai General Hang's strange interest in Zuko's romantic status. She certainly didn't think that he'd be stupid enough to fall for any of his noblewomen's tricks, but the conversation had brought home the fact that Zuko the Fire Lord had little discretion over his future partner. And that just galled her. Because someone like Zuko needed more than just cold Court games and power shifting. Her eyes raised to look at him. His face was implacable over his formal robes, his hair pulled back from the scar she barely noticed anymore. But she could still see his tense shoulders, and the way his eyes didn't smile with his mouth. Her own lips firmed. He _deserved _more...

Katara shook her head and got back to studying those in her immediate vicinity. Of course, General Sheng stood out the most. Mai had told her that he was Shen Li's father, but the way in which she'd spoken had made it sound like a warning even through her monotone. Katara shifted uneasily now as his gaze turned on her. There was a smile settled on his hawklike face, and although it looked natural, even kind, her stomach roiled like a sparrow-mouse in front of a bird of prey.

_It's just nerves, _she told herself firmly. _Snap out of it, Katara. _She raised her chin a little to meet him, and his smile widened.

"Lady Katara," he inclined his head towards her. "I trust you're enjoying the meal?"

Katara returned his gaze politely. "I am, thank you General," she deliberately lifted her chopsticks to her mouth, bit into something and chewed. Rich sauce flooded her senses, but she barely noticed it. "And you?"

His eyes crinkled up, and he seemed amused. "It is absolutely delicious, as always. But the food cannot outclass the company."

She smiled back at him, warily. Shen Li's father was a broad, tall man; a neat beard lined a strong jaw and his topknot sat above a crinkled, imposing face. He had the look of someone who got his way, and while he exuded friendliness, she couldn't help but be drawn back to his sharp eyes and the different message they spoke. She searched for words. "It must be special to have all the Court dining together."

His smile widened fractionally, "While it is indeed special, I was speaking about _you_, Lady Katara."

Katara noted out of the corner of her eye that a few of the noble girls had begun to look at her with strange, guarded glances. She could almost hear their thoughts through their eyes. _Why is the General so interested in her? Why is she sitting so close to the Fire Lord? What is this peasant waterbender doing here?_

She swallowed. _No actual knives, _she reminded herself uneasily. Perhaps it was because she was tired, perhaps it was because she was on edge, but the thought suddenly conjured up the image of one of the beautiful, deadly noble girls using their chopsticks to stab another's eyes out. For a moment, she choked back a startled giggle of mortification. Her expression must have twisted, because Mai's gaze flicked sharply towards her. With an effort, she managed to compose herself again, just in time to realise that Sheng was still watching her.

"Me?" she stuttered inelegantly.

Katara could almost feel Mai's disapproval slicing through her, like one of the noblewoman's unerring knives. Sheng's amusement had only deepened, and the thought irked her. _He's dismissing me, _she thought angrily to herself. _Toying with me. Dammit, come on Katara. You faced up to Azula on the day of the comet. You can hold yourself together in front of Zuko's Minister for Security. _

Her hand reached delicately for her throat. "I mean, I'm flattered, General, but surely..."

He cut across her smoothly. "No need to be modest, my dear. You are, after all, a war hero." Something in his face gleamed. "Indeed, you have won the respect of many of our people, Lady Katara. And in our current circumstances, _that_ is a notable achievement."

Katara's eyes narrowed infinitesimally. He was smiling at her ingratiatingly, but behind that she could still sense the angular edges of a predator sighting meat. _What exactly does he want from me?_

She noticed Nobleman Chin cease his conversation with his son beside him, his eyes sliding to study the air between her and the General. Kaeda, too, was watching with intense interest. And she didn't have to even turn her head to know that Mai was there, ready.

For some reason, that gave her an odd sense of comfort. That, and the realisation that Mai wasn't her only ally at present. Her adversary's son was poised, despite his relaxed manner at Zuko's left. And she could almost feel Zuko himself, his presence steady, his aura concerned, even as he too went through the motions of eating and polite conversation.

She smiled. She was not alone, and two could play at his game.

"I think it's wonderful that the Fire Nation people are so ready to recognise the people who fought for them, regardless of the situation in which they first met," her smile widened. "Such a trait is most honourable."

Sheng was too much the politician to look surprised, but Katara felt Mai's startled, silent approval and Zuko's hidden smile, and that was enough for her. "I would say the same of the Fire Lord's Ministers and Advisors," she inclined her head towards him. Her own eyes glittered now; not with innocence or vapidity, but with her own sharp, cutting amusement. "The manner in which they have decided to serve their country and dedicated themselves to Fire Lord Zuko is most admirable."

A few seats beside her, Shen Li bent for a moment, as if he'd just choked on his food. When he straightened up, his gaze was bright. But he did not speak. Instead, Kaeda leant forwards from Katara's left, a cloud of light, flowery perfume followed in her wake.

"I dare say that there are many admirable and unadmirable actions that have been done in the past," she arced one perfect eyebrow, her fingers clasped lightly around her spiced wine. "But the future is a different matter, no?"

There was the rustle of expensive silk, and then she held her glass up high at her eye level, as if examining the different facets of colour in the light. "We have a new Fire Lord, a new direction, a new country. What will be the honourable, notable achievements in the future depend upon what we do and who we are in the present, not upon the past."

There was a moment's pause, and Katara quickly glanced around to measure everyone else's reactions in an attempt to calibrate her own. What she saw was surprising. Shen Li and Zuko were exchanging guarded glances, Sheng looked like he was stewing, and Chin and Ren looked like they were keeping deliberately silent by sucking on lemons. Even Mai looked faintly astonished. It seemed that Kaeda's open comment was far bolder than it seemed. At least, that explained Liu's reaction.

"Kaeda!" he snapped. An instant later, he seemed to feel everyone's gaze fall on him, and quickly softened his tone. "I mean... surely this isn't appropriate dinner conversation."

He turned his hungry eyes to Zuko, smiling so that his rounded cheeks creased. "Forgive my wife, Fire Lord. She likes to get ahead of herself sometimes."

Katara saw red. "I don't see any problem, Minister," she interjected sweetly, before Zuko could reply. "Lady Kaeda was only telling the truth."

She realised that she might have stepped over the line only when Liu appeared to ignore her completely. Nothing could hide the darker flush of his cheeks, however. "As I said," he re-emphasised slowly, "My apologies, Fire Lord."

Katara saw Zuko's eyes flicker across his Minister for Trade and Economy, ghost to her for a moment with the barest hint of a smile, and then back to Liu. "As Lady Katara said, there is no need for apology." He picked up his glass carefully and tipped his head towards Kaeda respectfully. "My family's past is chequered as you all well know. I would argue that the same holds true for the Fire Nation. Knowing that the future depends on the present and what we make of it is an empowering statement, one that brings hope for a new dream for our country."

For a moment, Liu looked as though he might splutter. Besides him, Kaeda's face was pale, but vindicated. Chin had reached for his napkin elegantly, his posture dripping with disapproval. Ren and Sheng surveyed the situation like hawks, while Mai had the tiniest dagger curve of a smile. Surprisingly enough, that smile was matched by Shen Li, who had laid delicate fingers around his glass and was taking a sip to hide his shared gaze with Zuko.

Pausing, Katara couldn't help but wonder how she was reading them, even with their Court masks in play. Perhaps it was the time she'd spent with Mai, although she didn't think so. She tried to figure out a reason, to clarify her understanding of the situation, and then gave up and settled for stilling her heart and mentally punching the air. Zuko and Shen Li's reports earlier that day had sunk her low with the weight of what was happening. Seeing Zuko in action, everyone in action... it heartened her a little. Now that she was able to assess the situation for herself, she still saw the grim reality of it. Zuko could not trust his Ministers, and neither should he. But in Shen Li's form, in Mai's constant, sharp presence and awareness, and even in Kaeda's bearing, she found her own small measure of hope.

Somewhere, a bell tolled, and smooth servants appeared and began to whisk away plates and dishes. At the sound, Katara wanted to let her bundled nerves go and collapse with relief. But then Mai's lessons caught up with her, and she looked down at the table with a mixed sense of horror.

General Sheng was scowling behind his pleasant facade. Minister Liu was bright red and fuming under his pasty mask, while beside him, Kaeda was giving her a measured, assessing glance that for all its cool appraisal, could not hide her own hunger. The capstone was the score of noble girls sitting further down the table, who were glaring at her for some inexplicable reason. And it was only the end of the first course.

Katara took a deep breath, and smiled again, her eyes as bright as ever.

* * *

She looked amazing.

Zuko carefully lowered his eyes to his bowl and selected a fine cut of duck-chicken. He raised it to his lips, grains of rice sticking to its sides. He'd had a piece of this before, knew that it was one of Chef Lim's most succulent dishes. But there was no way he could concentrate on savouring the taste right now.

He raised his gaze surreptitiously. He'd never seen her in Fire Nation clothing before. Sokka had told him that before the day of the Eclipse, they had tried their hardest to 'blend in', and that had apparently included filching some rather interesting outfits. He'd had to try very hard to keep his face straight when Sokka had described Katara's choice._ Dear Agni, she walked around my country advertising she was an available... Best not to tell him. Or her._

Thankfully, by the time he'd finally come to his senses, they were back in their own colours. Zuko was partially grateful for that. There was a very large possibility that he wouldn't be alive at this moment if he'd pointed out exactly what she was wearing while she was still angry at him for his betrayal. Or at least, he might be missing a few vital parts that would have embarrassed him thoroughly at her appearance.

Now, he was startled by the contrasts. Mai and Ty Lee had somehow managed to find a long, dark red kimono, its edges tightened by deep lines of black. Thin lines of gold embroidery lightened the effect, and the entire affair was pulled together by a brighter red and gold sash around her waist. The result was a notable understated elegance that subtly enhanced the richness of her skin in comparison to the pale faces around her, and served as a study in juxtaposition against the blue of her eyes. He drifted his own line of sight up to her hair, recognising his former paramour's exact and scintillating handiwork. Two thick strands of Katara's tresses were caught up in two plaits that circled her head like a crown, meeting at the back in a carefully constructed, looped arrangement so as to create the impression of a topknot. The rest of her hair cascaded freely down her back, and she'd retained the two locks at the front that framed her face, Water-Tribe style. It was a compelling mixture that included enough elements of Fire Nation nobility to match her place so far up his table, but also managed to retain her own individual, unique trademarks.

He smiled and lowered his chopsticks to dip into his bowl again. He hadn't been the only one she'd surprised with her appearance. He'd noticed the prim facades of more than one noble slip for a second upon their entrance, and he felt vaguely amused that not all of them were female. _That's right, you old fossils. Try calling her 'peasant' now._

Of course, Katara's stunning appearance wasn't the only reason Zuko was keeping half an eye on her while he exchanged polite conversation. After the rather unexpected, rapid exchange that had taken place not an hour into the night, he had resolved to pay attention. Amidst courtiers and Ministers used to the same play, the same game, Katara was an astute and powerful wildcard that they hadn't expected. And although there had been several attempts to cut her down, to dismiss her, to mock her... she was still more than holding her own, her chin proud and her smile disarmingly bright. Indeed, she was tossing out comments that made him take a second glance at the recipients. He had forgotten how reflective and insightful she could be when she deliberately put aside her own clouding judgements and looked at things with a fresh and deliberate eye. He grimaced a little at the memory of Aang's earnest face. It probably helped that the situation had nothing to do with reading _that_ kind of information.

His palms started to itch, and suddenly he couldn't wait until the dinner was over so that they could return to his office and fully debrief. He had a feeling that it would be surprisingly fruitful - would give him at least some information on his and his Court's current status that right now he sorely lacked. Despite his misgivings about inviting Katara to the dinner, his gut feeling that she would be okay had clearly and irrevocably won. He stifled the sudden urge to grin. Agni, she had done more than 'okay'. She had been thrown into the pit of viper-snakes and had not only stayed alive, she had built grudging respect on her own.

A slight smile curved his lips. He had long ago made the mistake of underestimating the Avatar, and later of his friends. He had sworn never to do so again. And now, as he gazed at his surprising, formidable, amazing former enemy, his mind spun and he thought of other possibilities.

* * *

As the gorgeous vista of the North Pole passed slowly by, Sokka sat in the gondola and thought. Hard. His plan, which had begun as the merest flitter of possibility, had grown in his mind until it was one great, incongruous lump. He frowned as he regarded it all; the different ways it could go wrong, the many things success depended upon, the probability of him actually pulling it off. To say the very least, it depended upon his own and other's ability to play the situation far too much for his liking.

Then again, he had pulled off riskier things before. The thought calmed him for a moment, before he remember that that had been when he had been able to rely upon a number of rather formidable allies. At the moment, it was just him and Suki against all the hate that the North Pole could throw against the Fire Nation. He suddenly felt rather small and ineffectual.

Sokka sighed and glanced out of the boat from beneath his lashes. The shadows of the storm clouds dulled the glint of the ice around them. A few stray shafts of sunlight still sparkled the glaciers, but their shimmer remained soft and muted. Sokka kept his head down, glad for the protection of the dark, and the small, inconspicuous boat.

There was only him, Suki, and the gondolier on board, slowly paddling their way towards Arnook's ice lodge. He'd left the Fire Nation crew behind on deck. _He_, after all, was Zuko's ambassador, as ironic as that was. And he had a number of priorities, the first one amongst them keeping him and Suki alive. If the Northern Water Tribes were in as much of an uproar as they had suspected, then it was going to be difficult enough without bringing an amber eyed escort into the icy streets.

Not to mention, it also tied in neatly with his plan. Sokka's eyes raked the people moving hurriedly along the streets. The air was different than the first time he'd arrived at the North Pole. Suspicion, anger and vengeance hung thickly together, a united feeling that seemed to be equally shared by both the old and the young. Sokka cast a quick glance back to the Fire Nation ship, half-worried that the quiet simmering of war scratching at his skin had already overrun the battle cruiser. Even from this distance, the massive black bulk of the vessel still looked imposing. He hoped it would be enough to keep any Water Tribe with a bone to pick at bay for now, at least until he reached Arnook.

_Who am I kidding? _he thought with a wry smile. _If it'd been me, I'd be on the deck right now waving my boomerang. Just as well they were expecting us. _

He took one more glance at the docks, and his eyebrow twitched in realisation. From this vantage point, the many anchored Water Tribe boats that bobbed up and down in the current seemed to stretch out like an armada. He'd been distracted when he'd first gotten off the Fire Nation ship, but now their existence was almost literally smacking him in the face. A sudden thought struck him, and his breath hissed.

"Sokka, what's wrong?"

His heart leapt for a moment, and then fell again. From the other side of the boat, Suki was staring at him with battle written all over her face, her athletic body tense and ready. Any hope that she was asking about his personal, emotional state was dashed by her flinty gaze. He sighed. He'd had a brief daydream, once, about taking Suki through the canals in a gondola. But that had involved wine and furs and kisses and a world and relationship at peace.

The reality right now couldn't be farther from the truth. Sokka sighed and set his shoulders underneath the comforting weight of his parka.

"The boats," he said softly, nodding towards the docks. "Last time I came, there were barely any."

Before she could ask the obvious, he turned to their gondolier, his voice a little louder. "Amak?"

The waterbender turned, his face neutral. His body kept moving sinuously, shifting the water under their prow. "Yes, Master Sokka?"

Sokka waved his hand in the direction of the docks. "Been getting a lot of visitors lately?" he asked lightly. "Or is Arnook expanding his fleet?"

Amak shrugged and turned back to his work. "A little bit of both, actually," he replied over his shoulder. "The Council decided that while we were rebuilding the boats we lost during the invasion, we mights as well build a few more. And some of the scattered villages deeper in the ice have sent contingents to the capital."

Sokka and Suki shared a glance. "I see," Sokka said finally, his voice light. And then, "Any idea how far we are?"

Amak swirled the water one more time. "We're here."

Sokka glanced up abruptly. The grand steps leading up to the Council shone against his eyelids, and when he stood his legs were a little wobbly. Amak brought them closer to the edge, and then Sokka leapt up onto solid ice. He turned to help Suki out, but she had already landed lightly beside him. Their eyes met, hers a silent, murderous challenge, and Sokka felt the wind cut through his parka.

"You all right?" he asked, his throat dried by the cold. He pulled his gaze away as her scowl darkened.

"I'm _fin_e," she turned too and craned her neck up to take in the Council building. He wondered what she saw - whether her own impression of the North Pole was now irrevocably coloured by his story and what had happened between them. "Let's get this over and done with."

He sighed. She was marching up the stairs already, her poise proud and strong. The fleeting image of a white haired goddess spasmed across his eyes, and his heart clenched.

Sokka was not an optimistic person. He was, as he'd always claimed, a realist. And so as he started up after his erstwhile girlfriend, he couldn't help but wonder whether this foray into the ice of the North would end better than his last one.

Because if this was just the beginning, then it sure as hell wasn't looking like it would.

* * *

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A/N: First off, I am terribly sorry about the delay. An important law essay bludgeoned me across the head, and then a lot of other work started encroaching upon me. I hope I'll be more frequent from now on. Thanks for your patience!

Secondly, I'm incredibly grateful to all you lovely reviewers who keep giving me feedback and egging me on. Can't say how much you mean to me. :D Thanks again, and I hope to hear more from you!

-Shadowhawke


	5. Bind

**Chapter V - Bind**

* * *

_Though the fire burns hot,_

_And the water runs fast,_

_Forget the chains not,_

_That bind to the past._

* * *

"Well," Mai rasped. "What did you think?"

They were back at her house, in the safety of her room. Just her and Ty Lee. Katara had retired to her own rooms back in the Palace, and Zuko and Shen Li had vanished into the former's study. The hour was so late (or so early, depending on your view point) as to be abominable. With her sleep-deprived mind, Mai recognised distantly that this little personal, political gathering rather frighteningly reminded her of the sleepovers she'd had with Ty Lee and Azula years ago.

Minus the lightning, of course.

She turned her head a little, facing her friend. Ty Lee was sprawled on the other half of the big bed, her arms clutching a pillow. Her big gray eyes were focused in thought. "I thought it went pretty well, all things considering," she commented, smiling. "I mean, my first Court dinner I almost broke that dish, remember?"

Mai felt the pallor of her skin darken, and something in her chest tightened. "You mean you caught it when Azula knocked it off the table with one of her new firebending tricks."

Ty Lee hesitated for a moment, and then the smile vanished. When she spoke next, it was like a gust of wind had deflected off the mixed bitterness of their memories. "Honestly? I thought she did pretty well. I was half expecting them to eat her up along with the entree."

Mai snorted. "Yes, well. I'm not liking what I'm seeing in general. There's a lot to be done here. Zuko's playing with fire."

Ty Lee giggled before sobering a little again. "It wasn't all that bad. It probably would have been better with Chief Advisor Hui. From what I've gathered, he's been a real help to Zuko recently."

Mai sat up a little, leaning on her elbow. The sharp point dug deep into the mattress below her, and she felt a little unstable. "Hui?" She suddenly felt like an idiot. She had been so caught up making sure Katara wasn't politically burnt alive that she hadn't kept her eye out for other details. "Do you know why he wasn't there tonight?"

The acrobat shook her head. "Sorry, I don't know. I'm sure someone will, though. There's no way he could have not shown up tonight without some really good reason. You can't have a Court dinner without the Chief Advisor!"

"No," Mai said darkly. "You can't have a Court dinner without the Fire Lord."

Ty Lee fell silent. The room was nothing but their breaths for a while, and Mai began to feel the smoke of sleep prick her eyes. Despite her body's exhaustion, though, she couldn't rest; her mind was racing too fast. She found it odd that throughout the entire dinner, none of the gaggle of nobles had directly challenged Katara and her presence. Of course, there had been the snide comments, the ones whispered under the breath and meant only for specific ears. But the presence of such easy prey would normally warrant far more than that. The only noble or Minister who had really picked on Katara was General Sheng.

Mai didn't know much about the man. Their families had never been close, and most of her recollections of him were from a distance. Her father had never had much business to do with the man who would be Minister for Security, and she only vaguely remembered one or two dinners when she was much younger.

She frowned and cast her mind back, trying to trace his history. She knew that General Sheng was a relatively recent appointment. Now that she thought about it, Ozai had selected him only right after the Day of the Black Sun. Which was rather odd, seeing as that day had been a triumph for the then Minister of Security, Noble Lang.

The unknown troubled her, formed a maze of half-formed conjecture that she couldn't find an answer to. Her mouth tightened. She couldn't work with little to no information.

On that note, unbidden, her mind turned from the General to his son. The maze became a labyrinth that half of her didn't want to touch with a polearm, while the other half seemed inexplicably drawn to it.

Shen Li. Her mind ran back over the night and selected the images of him. He'd sat away from his father, as befit his position of Chief Bodyguard. But that hadn't stopped her from detecting the slightly odd twitches in his body language that sometimes coincided with the moments General Sheng spoke. Not to mention, the guard captain was a walking conundrum. Fire Nation military hierarchy and pride meant that he couldn't have been in his father's favour serving as a lowly guard captain in the Capitol. And yet he was far more in tune with the politics of the Court than many were. At the very least, he was capable enough to have been chosen as Zuko's Chief Bodyguard _without_ being a firebender.

Her eyes narrowed. That was an anomaly that she was pretty sure had never been seen before in Fire Nation history. Then again, perhaps he was a firebender, he just never used his fire. But that seemed just as ridiculous, especially given she'd already seen him fight three times.

Not to mention, he was just an anomaly. She hadn't ever known anyone like him. One second he had his Court mask on, and she felt him mirror her. The next he was asking, talking about... _friendship_, and she could see the chasm in his eyes. Then the next he was whipping forth with those wires of his, and she felt that odd, fluttering, soaring sense of freedom in her chest...

"Uh, Mai?"

She blinked, fully awake now. "What?"

Ty Lee peered back at her in the semi-darkness, her eyes sleepy. "Are you all right? You're fisting the sheets."

Mai looked down slowly, blinked again, and relaxed her grip.

"I'm fine," she said at last. "I just have a lot to figure out tomorrow."

"You and the waterbender, right?"

She'd almost forgotten about that. Katara's promise to Zuko. The rioters in the jail. The would-be assassin and his poison. The guard captain and his secrets.

And she'd just gone straight back to that. In a display of inexorable will, Mai decided to resolutely ignore that part of herself and focus back on Ty Lee. "I suppose. We'll see how she is and what she's good at."

"Speeches about hope, apparently," Ty Lee offered. "If the play that Zuko commissioned is right about anything. Oh, and she's a good listener. Scary when she's angry, though. It almost reminds me of..."

Mai's lips curled up, a knife-like smile. Before she could help herself, she spoke. "I'm sure Azula would have enjoyed tomorrow." _Interrogating prisoners and all._

And there it was again. Mai felt a tightness in her chest, and wondered just how long she was going to feel it. Forever? The Fire Princess' reach had always extended far, extended deep. Somehow, she wouldn't put it past her old friend to jerk her puppet string, even from beyond the grave...

_No._ She exhaled, slow and deep. The waterbender was different. _Katara_ was different. She'd proved it time and time again, from the first moment she'd opened up groggy eyes and stared into one of the most expressive faces she'd ever seen. Somehow, she was fairly certain that that same face could not stare cruelly down at a cowering prisoner and fill his insides with electricity.

Then again, she'd been surprised before.

"She would have," Ty Lee surprised her, her voice soft. She laughed then, and it sounded a little sad. "But then again, she probably would have enjoyed the entire situation."

An assassin at Zuko's coronation. A court balanced on knife's edge. Riots. One of her friends having... suspicions about the Chief Bodyguard.

Mai finally fell asleep with the rather disturbing thought that Azula would have _loved_ this.

* * *

"I hate this," Aang said miserably.

Toph scowled. "I hate this too."

He turned sidelong and gave her a wan smile, and he knew she understood even though she hadn't seen it. A small fist came out a punched him gently in the shoulder before she turned her blind eyes to Iroh, her small face grave. "So what do you think's going to happen?"

The Dragon of the West sighed. His tea was lukewarm in front of him, and he channeled a blast of warmth through his fingers before drinking again. "The simple lack of combustible materials shouldn't be enough to convict a firebender," he said slowly. "Unfortunately, it is the tension in the city that will. And, as much as I hate to say it, they will probably be right."

Aang slumped further in his chair. "So you _do_ think a firebender did it?"

Iroh furrowed his brow. "We don't have much evidence, Avatar Aang. But yes. I do."

The airbender frowned. "But Zuko had such strict orders on his men, and that Commander Makoto seemed so... you know."

"He was telling the truth," Toph said slowly. "He didn't seem to believe any of his people would have done it. But then again, maybe he just didn't _know_. It would have just taken one firebender to get drunk or something, right?"

Iroh sighed. "Yes. It would have been as simple as that." His shoulders straightened at his next words. "But we cannot sit around and simply guess. What we need now is a course of action to make sure this city does not fall down around our ears. I think the world's seen Ba Sing Se on its knees far too often in the last few months."

"It's not even that big a problem right?" Toph scowled sourly. "I mean, if all of those dunderheads just stopped fighting, it'd be fine. Then Twinkletoes and I could hunt down whoever did it."

Aang perked up. "Do you think if we found out who did it, and it wasn't a firebender, then it would be all right?"

Iroh lifted a heavy brow. "And if it was a firebender?"

Aang subsided. Toph spoke up. "We could put them on trial." She slapped a fist into her open palm, green eyes now determined. "Heck, that might be the only thing that settles this city down. A nice, open, public trial. And people could throw stones afterwards!"

She felt their silence, and bristled. "Hey, seriously. A trial is just the thing to separate whoever did this out. Stress that they're not the same as Zuko's army. They're just a criminal. If we bring Earth Kingdom justice down on their heads, rock-style, then I'm sure that everyone will get the idea. At the very least, it gives us a chance to narrow the blame down to one person as opposed to everyone who likes red."

"Hmm." Iroh sat back, thinking. "It's a start. But what do we do in the meantime?" He turned a weary gaze upon both of them. "It's been difficult enough without you, Aang. Many of the Earth Kingdom people have refused to listen to me, so all governmental matters have pretty much ground to a halt. People have begun taking things into their own hands."

"But I declared you my stand-in!" Aang objected. "There was that quick ceremony in the square and everything!"

"I'm afraid that a few words and a ceremony can't wash away my reputation, Avatar, let alone my blood. These people have had to bow to Azula and her lackeys for months now. It is hardly surprising that they are bristling at me now."

It was Toph that grasped what Iroh was trying to say in the old man's favourite but slightly oblique manner. "You mean that we have three problems. One, make sure everyone doesn't kill everyone else. Two, get the everyday political stuff moving again. And then finally three, find whoever started the fire."

Aang gulped. "All at the same time, too."

Iroh's keen eye fell on him. "You are not alone, Avatar. But this will all have to be finely balanced. If I might ask, how did your trip to the Air Temple go?"

Aang felt his throat dry up. The old general's piercing gaze was levelled at him, and at the corner of his eye, he could see Toph's head cocked in his direction. He remembered how, a lifetime ago, Sokka had asked him a similar question on Appa's back as they'd raced to Ba Sing Se.

With these two, lying was not an option.

He took a deep, steadying breath, filling his lungs with his element. He had a feeling that evasiveness wouldn't work either. Besides, he did owe it to them. To himself. That was part of what coming to terms with himself and his problems was, right?

Aang looked steadily back at Iroh, his uncertainty only visible in the way his fingers fidgeted on his robe. "I got some important answers," he said truthfully. "I think I'm going to have to work on it a bit, though."

He laughed hesitantly, scratching his bald head. "It's always easier hearing and saying things than actually doing them, you know?"

Iroh's face was lined with sympathy, but also with caution. "Yes, I know."

He looked as if he were about to say something further, and then he stopped. Next to him, Toph was also suspiciously quiet, her green eyes a reflective millpond that told him nothing about what she was thinking. He had a feeling he was going to hear from her in private later, though. He winced reflexively, and then stiffened his spine a little. He wouldn't expect any less of her.

Iroh opened his mouth again. "In any case, I believe our main problem will be to find a way to govern Ba Sing Se while you look for our resident arsonist as quickly as possible. We cannot be too sure if these will be the last attacks, after all." He gave them a measured look. "Perhaps if the two of you split up your time?"

"No," the airbender and the earthbender said almost in unison. Surprised, they glanced at each other, and then turned back to Iroh.

"No," Aang surprised himself with the firmness of his repetition. "If we want to do either of them properly, we have to do them together. That way we don't miss anything."

Toph smirked. "Couldn't agree more, Twinkles," she said loftily. "You wouldn't last five minutes in Ba Sing Se without me."

Iroh smiled faintly. "While I approve, that still leaves us with a problem. I'm afraid that we might have to just..."

Someone at the door cleared their throat. The three of them jumped. Toph didn't even think why the guards had let somebody in; she just stamped her foot. The ground erupted from beneath the intruder, encasing them in stone. Whoever it was let out a rather familiar cry of surprise.

Aang sucked in a breath. "Kuei?"

The Earth King smiled sheepishly. "Hi."

* * *

This was home.

Kata breathed in the ice. The cold crystallised in her throat, crept up her airways and forced tears out of her eyes. She saw the world like a gem, the light refracting off the multitudes of hazed angles brought by the crystal clarity of water. Grey clouds still hung over the North Pole, dimming the otherwise blinding whiteness of the snow. But she had never seen, never remembered such a beautiful sight.

She blinked, and the world spilled over for a second before clarifying once again. The tear dropped to the rim of her thick coat, and suddenly she couldn't wait to get back into a parka again, to feel the soft fur against the skin of her neck. She rushed forwards as quickly as she could, as if the dream might shatter if she took too long. She felt her breath sliding rickety in her lungs and her still-weak body protest at the movement, and she grudgingly slowed down. Behind her, Hama laughed.

It was a pure, girlish laugh. It fell softly like snow on Kata's ears, so different from the cutting, slicing saws and whips she had grown accustomed to. She felt the moment freeze inside her, and she turned to her best friend, eyes brighter than the stars. "I can't believe it!" she let loose her own laugh, and it bubbled out like a newfound spring from scorched earth. "We're here. Oh Hama, we're here!"

She could hear the smile in her friend's voice. "Despite all the odds, despite everything they threw against us, the entire Fire Nation couldn't hold us." Hama touched her own sagging cheek gently, her eyes misty. "We've made it so far."

Kata hesitated at the words, her giddiness draining. But before she had to vocalise the newly resurfaced turmoil in her chest, a polite cough sounded from behind her. She spun around to see a youthful girl standing at the head of a huddled bunch of teenagers, all wide-eyed and whispering. Kata suddenly remembered that she still looked as gaunt as a skeleton, and she froze.

"Greetings Hama Watertribe, Kata Watertribe!" the youthful girl bowed low to her waist in deep respect. "I am Palak. Chief Arnook and Healer Yugoda sent me to welcome you to our city!"

Her first few words were spoken with assurance, but now that she'd run out of pre-prepared speech, she seemed to falter slightly, shyly. "Um... we just want you to know that the North Pole is honoured to be able to host such brave survivors. In fact, we're to take you to Yugoda right away so she can make you comfortable!"

Kata felt her heart pulse once, twice, with a fierce warmth she had only ever felt ensconced deep in the wilderness of ice and sea. The warmth spread and melted her limbs, and suddenly she didn't care anymore that to the children, she must look like bone and skin. She was still weak. She could work on that here in the ice. Here in the North Pole, where she was welcome. She wanted to say something, to thank Palak, to thank anyone. _To think that even the Chief personally welcoming us! What an honour. _But before she could find the words, Hama spoke up suddenly.

"Would you allow an old woman a moment first?" she asked whimsically. "I would like to visit an old friend of mine."

Palak gave her an odd look, obviously unsure of how to respond. "Uh, well, Healer Yugoda told us to take you to her right away."

Hama smiled and folded her fingers. "Yugoda, is it? Don't worry, we'll be right along. You girls go and finish your chores now."

In the face of such an assured elder, Palak hesitantly nodded her head. "O-okay then. When you want to go see Yugoda, take the Tenth Canal and look for the healing hut near the end. You can't miss it."

"Thank you," Hama said kindly, before turning to walk firmly in the opposite direction. She didn't look back. Kata paused for a moment, her eyes on the younger girl. She was hovering in the air uncomfortably. At Kata's glance, Palak smiled nervously and finally left, her entourage of companions folding around her like wings.

Kata stared after her. So young. If she had to guess at her age, she could swear that maybe...

No. She wouldn't think about that now. Kata took a deep, cleansing breath and sucked in the reality of the North Pole. She didn't _need_ to think about that now. She turned and began to follow Hama's footsteps. She could let it go. Now she was home. She could let it go...

And then the realisation hit her, and Kata stopped for a moment, confused. "Wait, Hama! You've never been to the North Pole. How...?"

Her friend paused for a moment, but she did not turn around. But when she did, she could hear the smile in her friend's voice again. "Just trust me, Kata. I'll explain when we get there."

Funny, how this time the smile reminded her of a leopard-shark.

* * *

Kama woke with a smile.

Bright sunlight spilled from the windows to the left of her bed, framing the small water garden outside where she normally spent her time. She sighed in contentment at the way the blankets held her close and closed her eyes again. She was sleeping better, finally. It had taken days to get used to such a soft bed, and then even more to stop jerking awake every few hours from a nightmare or a very real, very dark memory. Her smile broadened at the thought and she lay back. In the days that she'd stayed here, she could _feel_ her strength coming back, feel the ocean of _chi _swell inside her and lap at her insides. It was an exquisite sense to know that everything was coming back together. She'd even managed to gain a little weight, so that when she looked in the mirror, something a little more human stared back at her.

She chuckled to herself, a little. A worn, contented chuckle. She had never thought she would find healing in the Fire Lord's Palace. It was funny how things turned out...

A knock sounded on the door, and she blinked. She was certain it was too early for the servants to come in and clean, and she was usually left pretty much to her own devices. Sudden fear coursed through her, made her arms wobble as she pushed herself up. She frowned and determinedly quashed it. _They've shown you nothing but kindness. Breathe. _

She did so, and in her exhalation called out. "Come in!"

To her surprise, the person who slipped around the door wasn't a servant. She wasn't even Fire Nation. The old woman's eyes widened as she took in the long hazel plait, the curled, beaded hair-loops, the deep blue eyes...

"Kama Watertribe?" the young woman asked. Her smile was forthright and strong, with a little wariness caught in the curve. "I'm Katara."

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A/N - I'm really sorry for the long wait. Aside from work at university, my mother was diagnosed with locally advanced breast cancer recently. As a result, writing has kind of been the farthest thing from my mind.

Now that I'm back though, I am determined to keep this up, even if it is not as frequent as I might like. Thank you all for bearing with me, and I'd really appreciate it if you kept my family, and the families of everyone suffering from a disease or disability, in your thoughts.

- Shadowhawke

* * *


	6. Of Words and Wisdom

**Chapter VI - Of Words and Wisdom**

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* * *

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_Spun threads of words and wisdom,_

_Can dance and soothe and rise,_

_Can give and take and labour,_

_Can fray with words and lies._

_

* * *

_

They sat by a pond in the East side of the Royal Gardens. Katara had abandoned her shoes and dangled bare feet in the water absentmindedly, a very large part of her taking comfort in the feeling of her element against her skin. It relaxed her, made tight-knit muscles malleable under the echo of the past she was facing. Kama didn't _look_ anything like Hama had. Her hair was raggedly shorn from her imprisonment, for one, and was only just beginning to grow long enough to hang below her shoulders. But her flesh was still wizened and sallow from her years of imprisonment, and sagging cheeks encircled her quicksilver eyes.

Still, where Hama had had her moments of dark, liquid intensity, like a treacherous undercurrent below seemingly quiet water, Kama had a sense of almost studied tranquility about her. Her gaze was fever bright at times, the sheen of tears never far from the surface. But beneath that was an iron determination, as inflexible as the tides smoothing eons of rock, and from what she had heard about the woman, Katara hesitantly guessed that that determination was focused in a direction altogether different from Hama's.

Then again, Hama had been the sweet old innkeeper until she had revealed herself. She had a reason to be wary, a reason to consciously take deep breaths and try not to slip into a battle stance.

"How are you finding it here?" she asked. Light words and light conversation, like the foam made by two rivers crossing. She thought she could do that. It helped that in the presence of the older woman, her old Tribal teachings were washing over her again. Quiet respect for her elders, warmth for another member of a Tribe. She took a silent breath. Yes, she could do this.

She turned her gaze obliquely from the water in politeness, and was startled to be met with a broad, wide smile. It showed off Kama's teeth, old, tired looking things that were cramped together except in the places where some had been knocked out, leaving sorry gaps. It made that wrinkly face even more folded, and despite Katara's own unease, it made her relax a little. Gran Gran had never smiled much, but when she did, she had looked a little like this.

"I'm _loving_ it here," Kama said, clasping her hands on her lap. Her smile grew broader, turned into a grin. "I... it is so much more than I ever expected."

Katara threw her a questioning look, her mind racing back over what Zuko had told her. The wary, suspicious, fearful part of her was splintering, not quite sure what to expect. But beneath that lay the ocean of compassion twined around her heart, and she felt it surging in response now. _If this woman is for real, _Katara thought, _then there may be hope for proper peace after all._

She didn't want to think how much that made her want to laugh and cry at the same time.

"It is..." the old waterbender seemed to search for words, and Katara was grateful that she hadn't seemed to notice her discomfort. Then Kama abandoned her search and lifted piercing blue eyes to stare into hers.

"I never expected to be rescued, or saved," she said. "I never expected to even escape." She took a quavering breath and pushed on. "I didn't even expect to live to see the end of the war, but if I had, I was so horribly afraid..."

Katara heard the echoes of another woman, even as Kama continued to speak, her voice becoming louder, more impassioned. _... they tried to wipe us out, our entire culture... your mother!... We're the last Waterbenders of the Southern Tribe... they threw me in prison to rot, along with my brothers and sisters..._

"... I saw my tribe, _our_ Tribe almost destroyed, left as a shell of what it once was. Our greatest warriors, our greatest waterbenders. The Fire Nation did that, they did it with what seemed like no effort at all! I thought, if they could destroy us, then they could destroy the world, and if the war ever stopped, it would be because they had no one left to fight..."

_We have to fight these people whenever we can. Wherever they are, with any means necessary!_

Katara closed her eyes, her mind swimming. The fear was back, pounding against her skull like a leopard shark, ravening away the spools of certainty she wrapped herself with. She felt the water under her and readied herself to use it as a weapon.

Just in case.

"I never expected to survive," Kama's voice was quiet again. "That didn't mean I didn't try. But I never, _never_ expected at the end of it, that it would be the Fire Nation who would come, who would extend their hand, who would unlock my door and take the chains off for the first time."

Falteringly, Katara opened her eyes again, and looked into the glimmering sheen of old, old tears.

"I never expected they would try... try to make _it better_. That they _felt sorry_. That the war could end without either side being destroyed." The glimmer became a shine now, as the old woman looked at her. "And then they told me that a waterbender from my tribe, a Southern Tribe Waterbender, had helped to end it, had played such an important role!"

The feeling that had been rising, swallowing her up, immediately turned into another one. Katara blushed and put her head down, staring resolutely back at the water. The sea was calm inside her now. "I followed along most of the time," she chuckled. "It's really Aang, the Avatar, who did it all." Even with the way they had parted, she felt a warm rush of pride flow through her throat with the words as she said them. "Aang was _amazing_. And _Zuko_. You'd never guess where he started, but he saved my life in the end. And oh, Sokka... I don't think we could have survived without him, And Toph, there's no way we could have survived without her. And Appa and Momo and Dad and General Iroh, and oh, there were so many others..."

Kama cut her off gently. "You don't fool me one bit, Miss Katara," she said, the sparkle in her eyes softening her words. "He told me what you did when I asked. Not everything, because I don't think he knew everything, but he knew enough."

She had a very strong suspicion that she knew exactly who Kama was talking about, but that didn't stop her from playing obtuse. "He?"

The older woman inclined her head with a small smile. "Why, the Fire Lord."

Katara blinked for a moment. And then she shook her head. _What on earth did Zuko tell her, to make her look at me like that? _She pushed away the warm, confused feeling and told herself she'd examine it later. "I'm sure he was exaggerating."

"_No_."

The old woman's voice was not quiet anymore, and now it carried steel. Katara was startled enough to glance sharply back at her, and met a look of stubborn determination. She had to stifle the first snort of laughter that came instinctively to her throat. Oh, she knew that look. She should, she had seen it on Sokka often enough.

"No," Kama repeated firmly. "There is no need to be humble, child. Not about such an incredible achievement. You held them together throughout it all, the Fire Lord told me that. And you did so much on your own too - you brought back the Avatar, you saved him so many times from others and himself. You saved an entire village of Earthbenders, you even defeated the Fire Lord Azula on the day of the comet! You, a Southern Tribe Waterbender, with no one to teach you about your ability when you were growing, grew to become such a master that you helped to shape the world."

Her trained instinct, the one drilled in by tribal customs, was to continue to deny it, to belittle it, to be humble like a good girl. But then, Katara had always had another instinct. Her own. And when it was all said like that, with Kama's eyes shining, she suddenly knew what it felt like to be on the receiving end of one of her own speeches. And before she knew it, what she had seen in the Spirit World combined with the experiences over the last few days, the last _year_, and this woman's shining eyes, and the hope inside her leaped and found a new target.

Herself.

_I really have to talk to Zuko, _she thought absentmindedly, _about what exactly he told Kama. _But that was only one part of her mind. The rest of it straightened her back, lifted her chin, and told her it was all right to feel pride.

"Thank you," she said, and she meant it.

The old waterbender subsided, the battle won, but she still shook her head in disbelief. "No, thank _you_," Kama laughed, her eyes haunted by a lifting mist. "It wasn't real for me until they told me of you. You have to understand, I was locked away for so long with no news, and the last vision of my tribe was it falling to the might of the Fire Nation. To know that it was still strong enough to produce _you_, and then what you became..."

The last shreds of suspicion melted away. Hama had never talked like this. Had never looked at her with eyes that mirrored her own. "Katara Watertribe... you gave me hope."

And that was all the impetus she needed. Katara reached forwards, arms bared from the weight of the past, and hugged the old woman beside her.

"_You_ give me hope," she whispered fiercely into the curve of Kama's neck. She could feel the pulse throbbing just below the surface, fluttering strong and sure. She could feel bone, yes, but there was what she was sure was muscle and flesh already beginning to grow, the seedlings of recovery, the acorns of Hei Bai's forest. "After I met Hama, I felt so... betrayed. I felt like..."

She felt Kama jerk underneath her, and immediately let her go. The old waterbender sucked in a breath. "Hama?"

And just like that, the old shields sprang up. "Did... didn't anyone tell you?"

Kama blinked, slowly, weighing words and putting them together. "Yes. Your brother, as a matter of fact."

There was a slow, awkward quiet after that, like dirty snow floes drifting in a lake. Katara felt the ice bleeding through her, and suddenly just wanted to get out.

She pulled her feet from the water, bending them dry with a flick of her wrist, and reclaimed her shoes. She felt startled eyes fall on her at her abruptness, but she didn't turn to meet them. "Sorry," she said lamely, clumsily. The current of wind she'd winged when verbally dancing at Zuko's Court Dinner seemed to have dropped to a sluggish sigh, and it dropped uncomfortably around her as she stood. "I forgot I have to help Z- the Fire Lord with something today. It... it was nice meeting you."

She had almost nerved herself to leave it like that, when the old woman's voice came back.

"I am nothing like Hama."

She froze.

Kama continued. "Hama was my sister's best friend, like another sister to us. But she left without us that night. Whether it was because she thought we were dead, or she was just too bent on vengeance and didn't want to slow down to find us, I don't know. But Water Tribe don't leave their own behind, they don't lie to each other, and they treasure the old ways over revenge."

Katara felt an unwilling flinch surge up through her spine.

"I don't know much, but from what I've heard it sounds as if you never learned the Southern Tribe ways of Waterbending, because there were none of us left..."

That was enough for her to spin around, to shatter the stillness into movement. "I'm sorry," she said, honesty lifting the curtain and showing everything there, the ambivalence, the disgust, the scars. "But the last time a Southern Tribe Waterbender offered to teach me those ways, she taught me to bloodbend to hurt people. She made me afraid of myself, and it took a trip to the Spirit World to get over that. So thanks, but no thanks."

She almost fell over in surprise when she saw the old woman lift a single strand of water from the pond, and then stream it over her wizened arm, like a pulsing point.

"How about bloodbending for healing?" Kama asked quietly, her eyes lost in the water.

* * *

Mai resisted the temptation to slam the prison door shut. Instead, she turned her back on the man and glided out, every graceful step emphasising her noble blood and her cultured Fire Nation lineage. She wasn't sure if the cretin had gotten the point, but it made her feel better when the guard accompanying her finally pushed down the latch with a definite click.

"Where to next, my lady?"

She let no emotion flicker across her face. "In a moment," she said at last. "I need to gather my thoughts."

And she did.

Hiroki had been one of the identified ringleaders at the first demonstration, the one where an assassin with a poison dart had been lying in wait for Zuko. She had demanded information from his guards before entering, and had learnt enough to know he wasn't even a minor noble, just a seemingly disgruntled merchant who had decided to help stir up trouble. Yet he'd acted as if he were ranks above her. Even worse, although she had pessimistically expected it, he'd argued that he didn't know a thing and was just another good citizen fighting for the honour of the Fire Nation and how dare they lock him up for so long without charges?

It hadn't helped that the way he had insouciantly goaded her with innuendo had left her teeth grinding soundlessly in her head. Perhaps it was also her fault, though. She had slept poorly, and woken to find herself staring at the ceiling again less than four hours after she first closed her eyes. Her mouth thinned in frustration, she might have even shredded the sheets had Ty Lee not slept on, oblivious.

Then, when she had been taken to the Palace, she'd learnt that Katara had decided to visit the Southern Water Tribe prisoner of war, and so she would be beginning her investigations alone. Oddly enough, that had made her brood the entire walk to the Royal Prison on how different Court Dinners were from actual government politics, and how just because Katara had thrived with one didn't mean she could survive the other.

Mai pursed her lips, searching for her equilibrium. It was a state she was finding it more and more difficult to get into. Things had been so much easier when she hadn't cared, when she'd been just the Governor's daughter, when she had followed Azula.

_But then, things have been so much more __**interesting**__ since I've decided to make my own choices and become myself._

Mai acknowledged the thought and filed it away as the guards shifted uncomfortably around her. She could dwell more on the way things had changed later. As it stood, if Hiroki was the prime example of those who had been arrested, she wasn't surprised that Sheng and his men hadn't managed to get anything useful out of them.

She was about to move on when the guards at the front door stirred, and then another contingent entered, flanked closely around a very familiar figure. Mai kept her face schooled, but inwardly she felt the sharp warning of sunlight on a flying dagger.

_Well, well. Think of the devil._

"Lady Mai," General Sheng stopped in front of her and bowed. She returned the bow as befitted one player meeting an equal, not the ex-Governor's daughter greeting a General, noticing with interest that when he straightened there was no surprise on his face. "Minister Sheng."

The emphasis was deliberate, and she watched the crow's feet around his hawkish gaze tighten. His tone stayed careful and courteous, however. "I was informed that you would be accompanying my investigations today, my lady." He paused for a moment, sweeping the corridor. "You and, well, Lady Katara."

Mai blinked slowly, naturally, but inside her thoughts were churning. _We told no-one that Katara and I were planning to conduct investigations into the prisoners. And I made no mention of Katara to the guards outside the Tower this morning. The only people who knew were..._

Why, Zuko, Katara, herself, and...

Mai easily resisted the impulse to hiss through her teeth, but it stayed at the back of her throat nevertheless. "Lady Katara will be joining us later," she said calmly, as if she had intended all along to wait for his arrival. "In the meantime, why don't you tell me some more of what you've found?"

If the guards had shifted uneasily around her before, they were standing stock still now. General Sheng, (_Shen Li's father, she reminded herself_)_,_ regarded her carefully with his piercing eyes, and for a moment Mai felt something akin to concern. In a political environment as virulent as the Fire Nation Court, made worse by the recent and massive shifts in direction, keeping the position of the Minister of Security required more than a few tricks up your sleeve.

Then he seemed to relax, almost as if he'd found something he'd been looking for. "I shall tell you more as we walk," Sheng said comfortably. His next words were almost casual as he smiled at her. "Indeed, I relish this opportunity to indulge my curiosity as to yourself. You have been away from Court for a long while, Lady Mai."

At his gesture, the guards began reforming around them both, trapping her into an uncomfortably close vicinity with one of the sharpest politicians in her country. With no delicate escape, Mai pretended to smile back, hoping it didn't look like she was baring her teeth.

"It would be my pleasure," she said in her monotone, and then she took his proffered arm.

* * *

Suki seemed surprised when they were ushered into an inconspicuous room off the main hall where the Council sat. Sokka winced when that surprise turned to suspicion when Arnook greeted them, flanked only by two of his trusted warriors.

"It is good to see you, Sokka," the Chief of the Northern Tribes said warmly, clasping his hand. Sokka clasped it fiercely back. When Arnook finally pulled away, however, his face was grave. "But I must say, I'm surprised that you requested to see me first in such... privacy."

He saw Suki's eyes then, and felt the guilt clash with the resentment. It wasn't as if she had made it easy for him to talk to her since her... declaration, so of course he hadn't had the chance to tell her what his message to the Waterbenders on Zuko's battle ship had been. Still, he could have pushed...

He jerked himself back to reality when he realised Arnook was waiting patiently for his answer. "I've heard about the troubles you've been having here, especially with Hahn," he explained. "I know we can't hide Zuko's big massive lunk of steel, or the fact that _some_ type of Fire Nation ambassador is here, but I thought it best to keep a lower personal profile."

"Why?" Suki got there first, her voice as sharp as her gaze. "I would have thought that the most clever thing would be to _flaunt_ the fact that Zuko's ambassador is a member of the Water Tribes."

Arnook's brows furrowed in confusion before Sokka could scramble up a reply. "My dear," he said, bowing his head towards her. "I don't believe we've been introduced."

Sokka was almost grateful. Introductions were easy. "Chief Arnook, this is Suki, Leader of the..."

Her words this time had a definite slicing edge to them, as deadly as her fans. "I can introduce myself, Sokka."

Sokka winced again as she drew herself up, chin jutting high and proud. He could have seen Arnook and his guards' raised eyebrows from a mile away. And yet, at the same time, he felt pride rush through his veins like ice. The knowledge that he shouldn't be feeling it, _she's not mine anymore, she made that abundantly clear, _lay under it, like smothered dirt.

"I am Suki, Leader of the Kyoshi Warriors in the Earth Kingdom," she declared firmly. "And I would be glad to offer my assistance in the fracas we've heard about."

Arnook blinked slowly. "Thank you," he said, clearly uncomfortable with her forthrightness. He angled slightly towards Sokka again immediately afterwards, his body language excluding her from the conversation as effectively as if he'd ordered her thrown out of the room. "Do continue."

Sokka could feel her burning eyes on him as he replied, and perhaps that was why he got straight to the point. "Given the current mood here in the city, I'd say that I could talk all I like as an ambassador and get nothing done. No. My plan is to investigate the lobby groups giving you so much trouble themselves, and to do that, they can't know who I am."

The Chief frowned thoughtfully. "I always knew that Yue had a destiny," he said quietly. "Others have no such comfort, and we lost many in the attack."

Sokka felt incredulity swell in his stomach for a moment, and then he pushed it away. _That_ certainly hadn't been the pitfall he'd expected - he'd thought he'd have to argue about his methods instead. To think that he'd have to start at square one... "The Tribes would lose a lot more if they decided to restart the War,"

"True," Arnook's weathered, tanned face was near unreadable. "But some might think that acceptable if it meant vengeance for loved ones. Some despise the Fire Nation so much they think they must be obliterated before we can truly have peace. Surely _you_ would understand, Sokka."

Sokka caught a tremulous breath, and then expelled it out in a push. He'd wavered for a moment on ducking away, circling around, approaching the topic from a different angle, but no, he _had_ to know where he stood before letting the North Pole crush his heart again. "How about you, Chief Arnook?" he queried lightly. "What do you think?"

He saw the warriors stiffen slightly, but Arnook took on an expression that just seemed thoughtful. Thoughtful and weary. "I have two warring halves within me," he said at last. "I am angry, but I want peace. I want to protect my Tribe from future threats, but I want to protect them from themselves. Push and pull, round and round."

Sokka felt his heart sinking, felt it scrape past his ribs and lodge down into the acid of his stomach, but the Chief wasn't done yet. With liquid eyes that he remembered, felt comfortable with, felt familiar after traveling for so long in the Fire Nation, Arnook gazed at him. "All these things battle within me, trying to find a balance, but then I look up at the Moon, at my daughter, and I know she would want peace. Destiny or not, I do not want anyone else to lose their children."

Sokka exhaled without realising it. "So you'll help me help you? Let me keep my profile low and investigate Hahn for you?"

The Chief's expression changed, fluid as water. "I'm not sure how important Hahn is in the grand scheme of things," he said quietly. "He's drawing a lot of attention and holding a lot of sway amongst the youth, yes, but it is those approaching individual Council members that we should watch. For all his stature, Hahn is just a boy."

Sokka snorted. "So's Aang. Didn't stop him from throwing a spanner in Ozai's works. If he's drawing the most attention, then he's probably legitimising and spreading the hate. That's the foundation I want to knock down."

Arnook frowned. "If your plan is to investigate him secretly, you may run into problems. Even if we don't announce you as the Fire Lord's ambassador, he is not the only one who may recognise you."

Sokka shrugged. He'd thought about that earlier, and that was why he was grateful, if only a little, for the fact that the last time he'd been here Aang and Katara had drawn a lot more attention. "That's why I need some nondescript place to stay that isn't on Zuko's ship. Oh, and maybe some clothes."

The Chief looked troubled, but he finally nodded. "I'll have Amak take you down the Eighth canal. You should be able to find an inn eventually, and maybe even not get recognised. The city's a little crowded at the moment since we have some warriors from other Tribes outside the capitol."

Something inside him relaxed a little, and Sokka finally let the familiar chill of the Poles embrace him. He grinned tightly, but truthfully. "Thanks."

The grin stayed on his face even as they slipped outside, turned calculating as he began to go over his plan again. It might have even stayed firmly lodged there until after dinner if his erstwhile girlfriend hadn't grabbed his arm as they were walking down the Council stairs.

"We need to talk," Suki hissed.

And things were suddenly both sagging and taut, relieved and dangerous, and Sokka knew for sure that the North Pole had somehow got him again.

* * *

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**A/N: I am very, very sorry that it has taken me this long to get my act together and update this story. Thank you to those who have reviewed in between the space and to those who have waited. I've done a lot of thinking about this fic in between the craziness of my life, taking into account some of the great constructive criticism I've received, and I hope that this story will be better for it. I won't make promises that I can't keep, but I can say that I'm back in the game with this story again, and I'll try to update as much as possible. Thanks again to all of you, and I'd really love to hear what you think.**

**Also, a massive, MASSIVE thank you to whoever nominated and seconded The Alchemy of Fire - Arc I for the best Avatar fanfic category of the Universal Fanfiction Open Awards. I was completely gobsmacked when I got the email; gobsmacked, amazed and humbled. I know there are plenty of absolutely incredible authors who write for Avatar out there, and I certainly don't deserve to be grouped in the same category, but I'm delighted that some of you have enjoyed my work so much.**

**The first round of voting for the competition is now open to everyone to vote in until April 30th. To vote, google 'dot moon the UFO awards' and make your way from there. I'd encourage all readers to check out the other entries and then make your decision, because there are some truly beautiful fanfics on the list.**

**Okay, sorry to bore you with this massive message. My thanks again to everyone. This story would not be the same without you.**

**-Shadowhawke**


	7. Some Questions

**Chapter VII: Some Questions**

* * *

_Some answers, some questions, can lead to quests more,_

_For destiny's hand can but settle the score_

_

* * *

_Very distinctly, Aang could remember Sokka's voice on that rocking Fire Nation boat. Only this time, there was no sharp tang of the sea to soothe and distract him from the fuzziness and ache in his head. Instead, there was the cool stone of the palace, the ground that seemed to stabilise him and demand his attention even when he would have much rather flown off into the sky.

Or maybe that was just Toph, her glare for once directed at someone other than him. He half-smiled at the sight, but it sank away as the memory of Sokka's voice came back.

_The Earth King decided he wanted to travel the world in disguise, so he set off alone. _

_... well, not completely alone._

Aang rubbed his aching head. "You know, I didn't think to question it when Sokka told me," he said numbly. "But..."

"You had other things on your mind," Toph interjected ruthlessly. "Like having almost died and waking up a few weeks after on a Fire Nation ship."

Aang acknowledged that with a tired smile, but kept his eyes fixed on Kuei as he continued. "But was it really the best idea to travel the world in disguise when your kingdom had just fallen to the Fire Nation and you'd never been out of Ba Sing Se before?"

The harshness of the words was offset by the mild honesty in which he asked it, and he was too busy rubbing his head and looking at the erstwhile Earth King to see the suddenly approving glances cast his way by his two other companions. Kuei shrank slightly nonetheless, although Aang was heartened to see that his neck didn't seem to collapse into his spine like it once had. "I stayed alive," he said half-defensively. "If I hadn't travelled in disguise, I'm sure that the Fire Nation would have..."

He subsided on this, as if not wanting to contemplate what could have happened. Bosco shivered next to him. The great bear was looking decidedly leaner, and his bulk now seemed more muscle than fat. Iroh absentmindedly scratched his muzzle while his keen eyes never wavered.

"Permit an old general his curiosity, your Highness. But where _did_ you go?"

* * *

Mai wanted to go straight to Zuko's office. He was probably in some more meetings discussing the refugee situation and the collapsing economy, but that didn't matter. She would have waited until he returned, because what she had to say was too vital for time to interfere.

She would have, if she hadn't remembered that Sheng was not the Minister for Security for nothing, and that his eyes were everywhere. Their conversation had showed that, at the very least. He'd casually remarked on things that he should not have known, that suggested he'd been watching her and Zuko and Katara and Ty Lee very keenly in the last few days.

Either that, or it suggested Shen Li...

Mai scowled as she paced her room, the stifling atmosphere of her house the only non-suspicious place she could think of to retreat to. The fresh reminder of her vulnerability was galling, and she began to cast her mind over all the mistakes she'd made since she'd been freed. Politically, they were unforgivable.

Well, they were unforgivable if she wanted to pursue the course she was now considering, the one that had gradually unfurled and then picked up speed in front of her blinking eyes in the few hours she'd spent with Sheng listening to the prisoners. That had been illuminating in all the wrong ways. She could see now why they hadn't made any progress in the days since the riots. The so-called 'ringleaders' didn't appear to know a thing.

Which made her suspect something else.

Mai paused as the memory flashed across her mind. There had been one, ah, interview that had been different. It had fallen into the middle of the interrogations, destined to be washed away by the more memorable events of the beginning and the fresher ones at the end had it not been for its oddness. For one, the man had taken one look at General Sheng and his followers and demanded he speak to Mai alone.

For two, after an inscrutable look on his hawklike brows, General Sheng had agreed.

Mai cast a dark glance around her room. Early autumn was already beginning to embrace the Fire Nation, dappling the sunlight with the decaying richness of melting butter. That same sunlight had been shut off to her as she'd approached that particular prisoner warily. Perhaps that was why she was still so unsure as to what exactly had been going on.

"_You're the Warden's niece, aren't you?"_

_Mai kept her eyes impassive. Hers was a relatively prestigious family, so it wasn't surprising that he knew her ties. It really wasn't. Even if Zuko hadn't known... "Yes."_

_It was a curt answer, but he didn't flinch. Instead, his eyes seemed to light on fire as he gripped the bars that separated them, a stunning change from the hopeless, bedraggled man of moments before. "Then you'll know what I mean when I tell you to check the Prison records!"_

_She said nothing, waiting for him to go on. He obliged after a moment's scowl. "If you've half the brains and determination of your uncle, you'll know what I mean when I say you should think about friends in high places when you're reading that thing. Get it?"_

_Mai stared down at him. "Why are you telling me this?" she asked, her voice the monotone of old._

"_Friends in high places," he repeated, his eyes gleaming. "That's why they're gone, that's why I'm here."_

_He looked for a moment like he was about to say something else - a name, another clue to the puzzle, another piece that might tip the winning hand. And yet before he could, the door opened and General Sheng's smooth tones had rolled across the moulding floor._

"_Any trouble, my lady?"_

_Mai's eyes met the prisoner's. "None at all," she said dryly. "None at all."_

There was so much trouble.

Mai had slipped back into the Tower, pleading one last question to the guards while insisting that the General stay behind since she wouldn't be taking long. She'd found the Prison records shortly thereafter, and her eyes had scanned them in the ten seconds she'd felt she had.

_Friends in high places indeed._

Mai thought about bribery, corruption, and how unstable the Fire Nation currently was, and thinned her lips. She wanted to tell Zuko _now_.

But the merest glance outside her window was enough to dissuade her of that. It was not her imagination that brought shadows to her eyes, shapes loitering outside her house with casual aplomb. Now that she was looking for them, she could see them, and so it was that Mai clenched her fists and stepped away from the door.

Maybe she could practice her knife-throwing while she waited.

* * *

The bard's eyes were wide. "You t-truly mean to give me _this_ much access to information, my Lord?"

Zuko waved his hand dismissively, his eyes already returning to the paperwork in front of him. "I want my people to know the truth," he said tiredly. "As much of it as possible."

He did not raise his head in time to see the sceptical expression of her face, but nevertheless he wasn't surprised to see its shadow when he did. "Yes, I know that the 'truth' is subjective," he said, fighting to keep the annoyance from his voice. Agni, it had been a long day already, and it hadn't even hit eleven yet. "But the Fire Nation has been fed one side of the truth for a little too long. I want you to show the other perspectives, like we agreed. Can you do that?"

She chewed her lip thoughtfully, her eyes never leaving his face. Zuko repressed the flinch that piercing gaze engendered. Somehow, he was sure that she wasn't really seeing him, just his scar, and that made him more than uncomfortable, it made him wonder whether he had gotten the right person for the job at all...

Finally, she nodded sharply and stepped back. "I will do my best, my Lord," she said. He saw an odd glint of determination on her face, and for the first time, prayed that everything would be enough. He and Ty Lee had worked together to find the right person for this - one hopefully more neutral than most of the court troubadours so as not to be accused of bias, and yet also sympathetic enough to their cause that the play might actually have an impact on his people. It was a difficult balance, and that was why he had demanded to read the script and view the actors.

The script that was almost halfway completed, and the actors who were just going through the final auditions now.

Zuko breathed. "That is all I can ask you," he said, and she bowed and left the lingering ghost of her piercing eyes behind her.

They haunted him for a while as he bent over his work, but it wasn't long before he was so engrossed in the matters before him that he forgot about them. Food was getting more scarce, for one. With the influx of rural refugees, there was no one left to tend to destroyed crops. Winter was still a few months ahead, but summer was dying already and they had to capitalise on the time they had left, otherwise he'd be left with a starving, poverty-stricken Nation.

He was not so engrossed, however, that he didn't hear the quiet sequence of knocks only one man knew. With a relieved smile, Zuko looked up. "Come in."

Shen Li slipped quietly into the room, locking the door behind him. "How goes it, my Lord?"

"Zuko," Zuko corrected him almost absentmindedly, even though a part of him wondered what he'd done to earn the formality all over again. He'd thought they were past this already. "And it's not going well. I've been looking at the statistics and food projections again, as well as the numbers of refugees flowing in and the capacity of the city. And while I understand where he's coming from, do you have any idea why your father is pressing me over...?"

The question died in his throat as he finally caught the look on Shen Li's face. And then Zuko cursed all the gods he knew for his own stupidity.

* * *

Mai was _not_ getting bored.

She was getting aggravated. She paced the corridors of her home and stared, unseeing, at the rich draperies and artwork that adorned the walls. She ordered a fruit tart or two, but after they'd vanished, there was no further entertainment there either. So when one of the servants approached her and reported that Katara was on her doorstep, she was not _happy_, she was _relieved_ to be free of the stifling company of her own thoughts.

Mai glided down the stairway to meet her... friend. The waterbender smiled up at her hesitantly.

"I'm sorry for cancelling on you so suddenly this morning," she said as they reached the same level. "Kama said she was going to teach me healing, and then I..."

Mai shrugged away the rest of the explanation. "Actually, it worked out for the better," she rasped. "You would never guess who joined my rounds of the Prison."

Her voice was heavy with sarcasm, until she realised from the questioning silence that Katara really wasn't able to guess and she lifted her eyes skyward. If the waterbender was going to become a political player, she still had a long way to go.

"General Sheng, Minister for Security... Shen Li's father," she listed off the titles one after the other until Katara nodded in recognition, ignoring her own pause before she said the last one.

The other girl looked at her, her face a question mark. "What did he want?"

Mai briefly explained everything. That he knew what she'd been there for. That he'd seamlessly coerced her into accompanying him. She relayed a few of the odd comments, especially his uncommon interest in her, and then the crowning one, the one inviting her to dine with his family.

It had been said in all the right ways, the right formality with which to invite a highly ranked noble lady to a meal. But he'd called her 'a daughter of her House', and the way in which he'd worded it was customary to inviting an unattached noble female into a family who had a son with prospects.

Mai was not so patiently explaining the subtleties of the wording when Katara interrupted. "So you think this is something to do with Shen Li?"

Mai inaudibly ground her teeth. "It had better not be," she said, and although the other girl didn't know her well enough to understand the way that flat viciousness melded into her voice, Katara knew enough to draw back slightly. "If he's been betraying Zuko and his father's in on the act..."

"What if it's there's another reason for this?" Katara interrupted again. "I mean, you said that Sheng seemed really interested in you. If he knows that you were close to both Azula and Zuko, but now you're your own woman, maybe he wants to recruit you. Or even make a match."

"But that's not all," Mai suddenly wanted to move on very, very quickly from this part of her story. _I'll deal with that horrible thought later. _"Do you remember that prisoner I told you about? The one who kept going on about friends in high places?"

Not even waiting for her nod, Mai continued. "Well, I did manage to check the Prison records without that old hawk looking over my shoulder, and he was right. A lot of the prisoners that were caught from the riots have already been released."

Katara's eyes widened. "By who?"

"I don't know, but I'm certain from what that prisoner told me that every name on that scroll can be traced back to the people in Court," Mai said disgustedly. "And that means that some of them are sponsoring, or at least supporting these riots. It doesn't make sense otherwise, because if they were released because they knew nothing, then some of those idiots I was talking to today should have been released days ago."

"What did Zuko say about this?"

Mai paused for a moment, and perhaps the waterbender was quicker than she gave her credit, because her eyes were narrowed and the next question was on her lips before she could answer.

"Why haven't you told Zuko yet?" Katara asked.

Despite the narrowed eyes, the query wasn't accusatory. Mai prevented herself from flushing anyway. It was good practice. "Sheng's people are outside, watching," she explained, gesturing sharply to the walls outside, the ones that caged her in. "What do you reckon they would think if I rushed off immediately to talk to Zuko?"

Katara frowned as that sunk in. "But surely they already know you're working with Zuko. Isn't that natural? Why else would you let me in? Heck, why else would you have been investigating the prisoners in the first place? Didn't you say that Sheng knew what you were doing and that I would be coming along?"

Mai shook her head, but her thoughts were racing. "I never told anyone what I was doing, just that I wanted to talk to some of the people captured in the riots. I could have just been another bored noblewoman. He had to have known from somewhere, which means he's watching us. Or someone's feeding him information"

Katara raised her eyebrow incredulously, focusing on what Mai irately thought was the least important part of what she'd just said. "You mean visiting the Prison is what 'bored noblewomen' do for fun around here?"

Mai quelled her huff of impatience. "Not exactly. Many know, or know of, some of the people in there. They're not all guilty - some of them are being held pending proof of it. It's not uncommon for people to visit the Prison, but it _is_ noted who people visit."

Katara shrugged. "Well then, maybe we need to think of a new hobby for some of the nobles here, because I'm not sure if you noticed, but an awful lot of the girls were wasting their time glaring at me last night."

Mai in fact had noticed. She'd dismissed it at the time, because she'd been the recipient of many of those glares herself the last time she'd been back in the Capitol. She'd gotten so used to them that they were just another fact of her day, like Agni rising in the east.

But now that Katara mentioned it...

Mai did not push away the thoughts of General Sheng and his son. But she did relegate them slightly to the left as Katara's casually-tossed words hit her with their full impact.

And then, for one of the first times that she could remember, Mai felt a strange, soundless urge deep in her chest. It rose up through her throat, and when it came up, it could not be called a laugh, but it was something so close to it that one of the maidservants cleaning nearby almost broke a priceless vase in her shock.

When she finally got control of her voice back, Mai's lips curved.

"Just what we need," she said. "A distraction."

* * *

Iroh wasn't sure whether to laugh or to stare.

Kuei had just finished telling them eagerly of the experiences he and Bosco had had, fleeing deep into the numerous mountains of the Earth Kingdom amidst the handful of those lucky enough to have escaped Ba Sing Se. Not to mention, with a few pointed questions the King had revealed himself as a scholar of academic texts, including political studies. It was surprising, given how inept he seemed to be, but Iroh was quietly amused at the thought of a political academic actually in a position of power. One's knowledge might span the seas, but without true understanding it was just a collection of water.

Even more intriguing, however, was the revelation that Kuei had been sheltered by Earth Sages. Iroh had not believed that some still existed, but when the Earth King had started rattling off the 'amazing collection of texts' that they had had, he was forced to reluctantly open his mind to the possibility of it.

Which did indeed pose a problem. Unlike the Fire Sags, who had been cowed into accepting Fire Lord rule and thus survived, the Earth Sages had been sought out and eliminated early on in the first quarter of the hundred year war. Or at least, that's what he'd thought.

"So what are these Earth Sage guys like?" the strident tones of young Toph cut through his thoughts, and Iroh quirked his brow in shared curiosity. Kuei's eyes lit up.

"Oh, they're wonderful! Just like the old books said they were - defensive earthbending only and completely loyal to the Avatar!"

The way Kuei's face shone suggested to Iroh that he'd missed Aang's wince. The old general shook his head. If he hadn't known better, he might have wondered how this man could have ruled Ba Sing Se for the last two decades. As it was, he knew that whoever had held the reins, it certainly hadn't been Kuei. "And their studies! I managed to read half their scrolls at least on the way back here, they decided to bring some back to slowly refill the old University libraries again."

Lost in his thoughts, it took Iroh a moment for comprehension to dawn. "Wait," he said sharply. "Are you saying that the Earth Sages have come back with you, your Majesty?"

"Why of course!" Kuei said happily. "Once I let them know who I was and when news reached us that the war was over, of course they wanted to return to Ba Sing Se!"

Aang swallowed. "Where are they now?" he asked, half-timidly. But Toph's sightless gaze was already swivelling to the door.

"Someone's right outside," she reported. And then her eyes widened, and she jerked to her feet. "And they're gonna... get down!"

There was the tearing shriek of stone as the little girl, the greatest Earthbender in the world, bent a rock tent around them. And then there was nothing but the howl of fire and the boom of an explosion strong enough to shatter rock.

* * *

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A/N - Sorry for the messiness of this chapter, but I really wanted to get something up in time for a fortnightly deadline to prove I wasn't dead. Hopefully the updates will come easier to me soon.

More importantly, thanks so much for all of your wonderful words and taking the time to review and let me know your thoughts after these long months of hiatus. I don't think I could ask for more amazing readers.

-Shadowhawke


	8. The Sleeping Lie

**Chapter VIII: The Sleeping Lie**

**

* * *

**_In days of heat and fiery wind,_

_Where truth is bent to fit the eye,_

_And fear divides both kith and kin,_

_Still let the sleeping lie._

.

_When worlds crash down upon your head,_

_And darkened blood is left to dry,_

_You'll seek a place that's not yet red,_

_Found where the sleeping lie._

.

_And when it comes to words, not blows,_

_Stay strong on course from whence you fly,_

_When foes are friends and friends are foes,_

_Still let the sleeping lie._

_

* * *

  
_

Shen Li collapsed before Zuko could reach him.

An instant later the Fire Lord was by his side, staring down helplessly at the body collapsed like a broken marionette. It took him a few moments of panic to realise that yes, the guard captain was still breathing. And then some instinct or training took over. Zuko rolled Shen Li onto his back, noting with shaky relief that the man's outer tunic was dry and there seemed to be no blood. He quickly scanned over the rest of his body. There was nothing out of place. No clue that would explain why his Chief Bodyguard was out cold on his study floor. Then his gaze moved to Shen Li's face, and saw the dry pallor of a corpse that clung to his skin and his dilated eyes.

He shot flame into the golden dragon pipe that called for a messenger around half a second afterwards. And when the knock came, his message was equally curt.

"Find Lady Katara. Now."

* * *

Sokka had to admire her as she walked out of the Council of Elders' building, her shoulders set, her chin high. Then again, he had always admired her. That was one of the things that was making the iron band around his heart tighten even more. He doubted even Toph could dent that ring of hurt now. It was more implacable than stone, more stubborn than common metal. The twelve year old's sly comments and jibes that had somehow always made things inexplicably better wouldn't stand a chance.

She stopped at the end of the stairs, her nostrils flaring. Sokka stopped not two paces behind her, so close and yet so far. He felt like he was watching her through a telescope... that even though he could see her profile in detail, down to the little mole on her neck that he had kissed countless times, she was in actuality a hundred miles away.

"Sokka?" she asked flatly, suddenly.

He looked at the way her breath coalesced in the cold of the North Pole. The burst was sharp and direct and efficient. It didn't mist like the words of heartache and longing that he and Yue had shared that night on the bridge. He swallowed and said, "Yes?", and noted that the shape of his own question had not changed from a year ago.

"Where can we go to plan our next step?"

It was the first time he'd heard her use the plural for a long while, but he told himself not to feel too hopeful. "Arnook mentioned Amak could show us, remember?"

She raised her eyebrow. Even without the painted outline, it looked stark against her face. "And you don't have your own opinion? I thought you knew this city."

Sokka turned away. The movement hurt. "Not well enough, it seems," he said, resorting to sarcasm again. He was actually surprised he'd held out for so long. "So you want to go or not? Death by standing still is not the way I want to die."

He didn't wait for her to reply. Striding... well, as much as one could stride when one was using crutches on ice, towards Amak's gently bobbing gondola, he tried to refocus around the lump of pain sitting like a stone in his gullet. The harsh wind of the Poles sliced past his ears, carrying a low mutter he didn't try to decipher.

If she was done, then maybe he was done too.

He knew it was the hurt speaking. He didn't particularly care at that moment. "Amak?"

The man's head jerked up, startled at the sudden curtness. He recomposed himself quickly though. "Yes, Master Sokka?"

His need to clarify himself warred with his desire to stay silent and think. "We need to get to the eighth canal. To find an inn with a spare room. Can you take us there?"

Amak nodded, his gaze hooded with curiosity. But even as Sokka turned away and found his own place on the gondola, he knew the man wouldn't act on it. Not unless Sokka brought it up first. He sighed and sat down, feeling the gondola sink slightly as Suki stepped on gracefully. Male Water Tribe courtesy. Damn, if he couldn't use some of it now.

The gondola pulled away from the side, Amak once more poling the craft slowly and methodically down the canal. Sokka knew enough of the city to know that they wouldn't get to where they wanted to be for a while, so he closed his eyes.

Behind his lids, in the darkness, he thought. The slow push and pull of the water beneath him as they moved through the city gradually quietened his heartbeat, loosening the choke-hold his feelings had had around his throat. Able to breathe again, Sokka sighed. He didn't want to think of where and how exactly things had gone wrong, he wanted to think of how to fix them, but it was difficult when he wasn't really sure of either. It most certainly didn't help that they were in the North Pole, a city breathing with a thousand of his memories.

"Master Sokka?"

He opened his eyes to a painfully blue sky, exactly the same shade as the Moon's eyes. No, the North Pole certainly wasn't helping. "Yes?"

Amak nodded taciturnly towards the shore. The canal here was lined with modestly sized ice lodges, and the street was bustling with activity. Sokka blinked a few times and then smirked faintly in approval. Yes, there were enough people here to blend in with, and he was sure that they could find a place somewhere.

The gondola bobbed gently to a halt, and Sokka struggled for a moment to get his balance again with his crutches. The three seconds it took to windmill around desperately before he righted himself mocked him. He'd never had to do that before. Suki had always been at his side. He felt a presence there now and turned almost eagerly, but found only Amak gesturing at the bank.

"You'll be able to find what you need here, Master Sokka," the gondolier said. His eyes lingered on the crutches. "And you can find the healing huts down that way. I suggest you visit them at least once a day. You'll find they're busiest as it gets later and the Moon's power grows."

"Thanks," Sokka tried for a grin. "Can't wait for this package to be as good as new."

They alighted, and to his surprise, Sokka actually felt a bit of a pang as Amak rowed away. It had only been a little more than a week since he'd last seen his father, since Hakoda had sailed away back to the Southern Water Tribes in preparation for Zuko's peace talks. And yet...

He shook his head and pushed the thought away. He wasn't a boy anymore, longing for his father. He was a warrior, and he had a job to do.

"Come on," he called over his shoulder. "Let's get inside and away from the cold."

* * *

"Me."

Mai gave her a flat stare of confirmation. It wasn't really that much of a change from her normal demeanour - just a slight tightening around her eyelids, but she trusted the other girl would pick it up. If she couldn't, well... Mai anticipated cleaning up Water Tribe innards after the other Fire Nation girls were through with her.

Katara just stared back at her, blue eyes wide and voluminous with disbelief. "Me," she repeated slowly.

Mai gave her another look.

The statement finally turned into an incredulous question. "Me and _Zuko_?"

Put like that, so boldly, so out there, Mai allowed a moment to digest it herself. "I'm just saying," she shrugged minutely, the movement barely visible. "People see what they want to see."

Katara's jaw dropped, and she seemed lost for words. Mai knew that it wouldn't take her long to find them, though. In that time, the noblewoman patiently searched through her memory and remembered the conversations less than a week ago, and the intriguing things she'd observed.

"_Wait. Stop. Someone tried to kill Zuko?"_

"_I __**did**__ kill her. For Zuko._

And it wasn't just the words. Mai remembered the girl, beautiful blue eyes narrowed to slits, the flush of anger on her dusky skin. She remembered the way her lithe form had seemed to grow, lines of protective strength sculpting themselves along her muscles. If Ty Lee's account of the final showdown between Zuko and Azula was even half true (it was Ty Lee. Mai would have been surprised if she _hadn't_ exaggerated), then it would make sense that some of the Court had come up with their own conclusions. Not to mention, she couldn't push the memory of the way they had first been greeted not two days ago, with Katara flying into Zuko's embrace. The warmth of their banter, and the ease with which they'd slipped into it. The way the air had lit up around them with the promise of something greater.

She had no further moment to ruminate on it, though, because Katara finally found her voice again. "What exactly is that supposed to mean?" she demanded, hands on her hips. "There's been nothing to see!"

Mai leveled her with her gaze. She had to admit, she almost... liked the waterbender. There was something about the fullness of her, the way her emotions brought her to life and made things _interesting_. And then there was the matter of '_you're not alone' _to think of. Yes, she could admit that she didn't hate Katara, but there were times when she despaired.

"Katara," she said, slowly, deadpan. "It's the Court. You were seen saving him. The first thing you did on your return to the Capitol was run to his office. Last night, you were seated high up on the table, near him, a foreign peasant dressed and treated like a Fire Nation noble. That's more than enough kindling to start a fire."

Katara's eyes narrowed with distaste. "Don't... say it like that."

Mai cocked her head. "It's the truth."

"No, I meant the 'peasant'." Katara imitated it, her tongue thick with disgust. "It... it reminds me of..."

Mai shrugged, cut her off. "But it's also the truth."

She was suddenly the subject of a heated glare. "Actually, no," Katara's hands moved from her hips to the crook of her elbows as she crossed her arms. "I'm sure that all the Water Tribe are just 'peasants' to the grand, noble Fire Nation, but if you want to get technical, my dad Hakoda is the Chief of the Southern Water Tribes."

She looked as if she was about to add a 'So there', but restrained herself. Mai was too busy thinking of the sudden implications of it all. A Water Tribe Princess... or some sort of equivalent. In combination with the rumours, now, and what Ty Lee had told her of Hang's interesting questions about Zuko's relationship status...

"Anyway, it's not like that." Katara's eyes suddenly went round. "Did you think it was like that? Oh La!"

Mai tilted her head slightly, studying the girl in front of her. It wasn't fear on her face. It was something else, she was sure. She wondered if the waterbender herself was even aware of it. "Why are you reacting like this?" she asked instead. "It's not that big a deal."

Katara flushed. "Maybe not to you," she muttered. "But you don't understand. In the Water Tribe, we don't have flings or dalliances. When we marry, we marry for life."

Mai's eyes narrowed, and she folded the sleeves of her robes together. "So? I'm not suggesting you marry Zuko."

Underneath her tan, Katara's cheeks flushed even deeper. Mai noted the colour with even more interest. That, and the lack of denial, because when she finally spoke, it was more of a challenge. "So what are you suggesting then?"

Mai opened her mouth. And never got to say anything, because there was suddenly an urgent knock on the door.

* * *

The guard captain was cold. Almost painfully cold. Zuko shivered himself and cast a desperate look around the room. There was an official over-robe hanging in the corner, along with a more mundane cloak that he changed into after meetings. He almost yanked the latter off its peg before wrapping it around Shen Li. Then, using his firebending, he poured out liquid warmth through his fingertips.

He wasn't sure if he was helping. He wasn't even sure what he was doing. Whatever was affecting his Chief Bodyguard, it was something he hadn't seen before. He could only guess that it was some sort of narcotic; with no open wound and no sign of fever, drugs or poison were the only other culprits he could think of.

He thought about calling the Royal Physician. He dismissed it soon afterwards. The Royal Physician was usually only meant to treat royalty, after all, and it would look suspicious summoning him to his office when he seemed in fine condition. He thought about calling one of the Palace physicians, and decided against that as well. Shen Li was out cold, but he seemed stable. Besides, he'd already called Katara, and he didn't want them treading on each other's toes.

There was a sharp knock on the door. Zuko was up before he even considered how amazingly quickly Katara had arrived. The distance to the entrance was eaten up in two strides, and then he pulled it open, a frantic greeting already on his lips...

And General Sheng swept in, his burning hawk's eyes instantly fixing on the sight of his son's body.

It only took him a few moments to recover, but by that time his Minister for Security seemed to have already appraised the situation. "My Lord?" he asked, making it seem more like a strangled demand than a question. "What happened here?"

_How did you know something had happened at all? _Zuko wondered, but he pushed it away the next second. The man was, after all, his Minister for Security, and he supposed many people might have seen Shen Li acting strangely before he'd reached the office. "He managed to knock, come in, close the door, greet me, and then he just collapsed," the Fire Lord explained, his voice a disbelieving rasp. "I've already called for Lady Katara."

"Lady Katara?" Sheng repeated slowly, incredulity dulling the anger in his voice. His face seemed alive for the first time, an emotion playing over his face that wasn't studied boredom, calculated disdain, or even sneering rage. "Why not a royal physician? _My_ _son_ needs help!"

Zuko was aware that he was filing away the man's reaction for later analysis even as he straightened. "General Sheng," he said, his voice no longer a rasp. He saw the effect as the man stiffened, responding unwillingly to the clear tone of command and control. "Lady Katara saved me from a mortal wound. I can assure you that I am getting your son and _my_ Chief Bodyguard the best help that he can get."

The Minister's nostrils flared, but his next words were slow and calm and between relaxed teeth. "And what of a second opinion, my Lord?" he queried. "It is common practice to procure one so as to make sure one's path does not deviate into even greater ills."

Zuko blinked. The last sentence had sounded unnaturally stilted, almost like a quote, but he couldn't place it. He was relatively sure that he had never heard the words expressed precisely like that, even if the sentiment had often come up a few times in his traditional lessons. Or perhaps he had?

He was about to answer when a knock came again, and this time he paused until he recognised the voices outside. _Thank Agni_. Katara had arrived at last.

* * *

It was not a long walk to the Fire Nation Palace from Mai's home, and even less of one when there was a carriage waiting to take them to the front steps. So Katara spent the time she had grilling the unfortunate messenger the way Gran-Gran grilled cat-shrimps.

"So Zu... the Fire Lord was the one who sent you? Did he say what for?"

The hapless messenger shook his head. "He... it seemed like an emergency, my Lady," he replied. "The Fire Lord just wanted you there as soon as possible."

Mai and Katara shared a look as the carriage rolled over the flagstones of the Royal Courtyard. Katara turned back to the man. "He didn't look injured did he?"

The messenger shook his head again. "He looked fine. Just, uh, concerned."

Katara bit her lip and turned back to Mai, just in time to catch the ghost of an emotion flit across her face. Katara blinked. For a second, she could have sworn that she'd seen the customary signs of amusement on the noblewoman's placid features. But why...?

The carriage rolled to a halt and they were helped out by the suddenly grateful messenger. Instantly, Katara lost no time in striding through the corridors to Zuko's office. She was aware that Mai was following behind her, but that didn't stop her from speeding up her pace. Her stomach was a pit of fear, and she wasn't sure how to deal with it any other way than head on. For Zuko to have called for her so urgently in the middle of the day... she knew his schedule was packed with meetings and his own work in actually ruling his Nation, and if an urgent political matter had suddenly arisen, she was sure that Mai would have been the one specifically asked for, not herself. No, the only reason she could think of to call a Master Waterbender in the Fire Nation was if someone had gotten injured, and even the messenger's reassurances that Zuko had seemed fine weren't helping. That boy... no, that _man_, was one of the most stubborn people she had ever come across. She could imagine him hiding a mortal wound as he sent for her, only to collapse on the floor and...

She shook her head and kept going. Her imagination had a tendency to go downhill very quickly, and she didn't want to indulge it, not when her skills would likely be needed very soon. She turned the last corner instead and almost knocked the door in.

Seconds later, it was yanked open, and she was looking into golden eyes with a mixture of relief and something closely akin to terror.

"Zuko! You're all right!" she paused. "You _are_ all right, aren't you?"

He nodded and stepped back. She heard Mai's footsteps close behind her now as the two filed into the office, but her attention was on him. Zuko's face was drawn, the pale lines of stress snaking around his features and making his scar lie heavier on his skin. The crown in his hair seemed to glint dully in the room's light, the way she knew sun sparkled on blood, and she had to repress a shiver. He _did_ seem all right though... his movements were as strong and graceful as always. She was about to ask him why he'd called when she felt a light shove in the small of her back, and found herself looking down at the sprawled body on the floor.

Instantly, her medical side came to the fore. Katara crouched down next to Shen Li, her mind tuning out the murmuring around her. It seemed there had been someone else in the room with Zuko, and he was now hissing in a low voice, but that didn't matter nearly as much as the patient in front of her. Unconscious, Shen Li looked oddly regal, his aristocratic features sharpened in the absence of his normally casual air. But as she concentrated, focused her mind on the water moving in and around him, even that faded away to the pull and flow of his blood.

She heard her own voice come out, much more authoritative than she felt. "He's not bleeding," she said. "But his blood... it's sluggish."

There were more murmurs, but this time she concentrated on them. Zuko was crouching down beside her now, and in the light of recent revelations, she was keenly aware of his presence. "Do you know why? And if he'll get better?" he rasped.

Katara shook her head helplessly, wishing she knew more and suddenly thinking back to the offer of an elder. "I don't know. What happened?"

"He just collapsed." She knew him well enough to hear the anguish underneath that statement, the depth beneath the rawness of his voice. "I called for you right away."

Katara swore internally and passed some of her healing water over him again. "I'm... I don't know if I can help," she admitted painfully. "I've never seen anything like this before!"

Zuko opened his mouth to reply, probably to reassure, knowing the look on his face, but never got the chance. "I knew it," snapped a voice from behind her, and her instincts almost transformed the stream into a water whip. "Fire Lord, I really have to protest. We need a trained physician in here."

Zuko uncoiled, catlike, to his feet. "Very well," he said, his voice colourless. "Call for one."

"You should have called for one from the very beginning." She recognised the voice now - General Sheng, the man who'd sat across and down from her.

"I am calling for one now, Minister. And Lady Katara _has_ been trained, in the Northern Water Tribes..."

"And pray tell, what do the healers in the Tribes know of Fire Nation medicine?"

Zuko's voice was suddenly cold. "What exactly are you questioning, Sheng?"

The heat in the room was almost oppressive. Katara waited, her breath held in her throat as she concentrated on monitoring Shen Li's blood. She wanted to leap up to Zuko's defence, but even she knew that now was not the time. As it was, in the sudden silence she heard the rustle of Mai's gown as the noblewoman stepped forwards to appraise the comatose guard captain with a cool eye. And it was her words that broke the building storm.

"There is no need to call anyone," Mai said slowly, with such perfect poise and assurance that Katara envied her for one brief, black moment. "I know what's wrong with him, and more to the point, General, so do you."

* * *

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A/N Thanks so much for the wonderful feedback people gave me for last chapter. I am definitely taking them into account. Thank you for helping me on my way to becoming a better writer, I really appreciate it.

Also, apologies for how long this chapter took - hopefully next time I'll stick to a better timetable. Thanks again for staying with me on this ride!

-Shadowhawke


	9. Relearning

**Chapter IX - Relearning**

* * *

_The actors' path drifts,_

_All over the stage,_

_That constantly shifts,_

_With music and age,_

_Relearning a script,_

_Where Fate turns the page._

* * *

The explosion seemed to go on forever.

Toph gritted her teeth, pushed her chi down, felt her senses expand. There were heartbeats, so many. Some were getting weaker. Then she felt them drop away from her, the overload of information too much for her to hold. Only one remained, and behind her, she felt Twinkletoes flutter like a bird. "Aang!" she snapped. "What in dirt's name are you doing? Help me out here!"

It was a wonder how he heard her over the noise. But perhaps he didn't. Whatever it was, the fog seemed to clear from his brain, finally, and he leapt to her assistance. Suddenly the burden she was carrying lightened, and Toph sucked in a ragged breath of dust-filled air. Beside her, Aang didn't even have the concentration to smile sheepishly. With his will added to hers, his stance rooted into the ground, he felt the cracks she'd been holding together, the weight of the Palace bearing down on them like a mountain and threatening to swallow them alive.

Blue light suddenly flooded the darkness.

Toph couldn't see it, of course. But she felt her burden lighten further still, until the web of rock almost felt like air. Aang's heartbeat thudded in the soles of her feet, slow and steady for once, and she took advantage of her unique senses to truly appreciate what he was doing.

No one else could.

She bore her consciousness down into the ground and felt it shudder and sway. There was a huge, horrifying gap in the hallway just outside the throne room, the stone of centuries sheared off by the violence of the explosion. The reverberations were still rocking her feet, but something else was pushing back now. She felt the surge of power travel through her, around her, melding the cleaved earth back together, reaching through the very foundations and roofs of the Palace to smooth over the multitudes of cracks. Even with everything she was, she couldn't quite comprehend the damage that had been wrought. He did, though, and something that had stamped nervously in the gut of her soul for a long while paused to listen.

_See what you can do, Twinkletoes? _she thought, half-dazedly. _When you get your head out of the clouds and come back to earth?_

And that was the problem, she thought. The problem behind his skittishness and his visiting the guru and everything. The first thing she had learnt from the badger-moles was a sense of _direction_. Of focus. Of stubbornness and will to match the earth they shaped. He obviously had enough of it to earthbend and face Ozai, but the rest of the time...

Toph shook her head, thinking, and as the building around them convulsed once more and then fell silent, she let the rock tent crumble.

Aang's heartbeat immediately picked up again.

"Kuei! Iroh!" She felt a massive surge of air brush past her skin, and the dust in the room settled. For a moment, she lost track of him as he ran. And then he was there, and so was Iroh, and she didn't even have time to connect the dots.

"Iroh!" Aang's voice again, and she swore she could have heard a dying breeze in his voice.

She felt Kuei stumble towards where Aang knelt on shaky legs. Toph found hers were rooted to the ground. She swallowed. Sometimes she wished she could see. "Pops?" she finally ventured and discovered her throat was sore from screaming dust. "Are you all right?"

"He's out," Aang said shakily. "I... he's bleeding. Something must have hit him from..."

That was enough to unfreeze Toph's feet from the floor. "Well then move it!" she commanded. The words spilled out of her like only panic could. "Where's the infirmary around here? Get someone in to help us." She calmed herself just enough to pull the tiles Iroh was resting on tenderly upwards, a floating stretcher of stone. "Well? Where do we go?"

She knew she was losing her cool. She didn't care. Aside from the political ramifications of what would happen if Iroh died, she _liked_ him. And Aang... she could imagine what he was doing right now, standing there and working his jaw up and down. For a moment, she violently wished for Sokka. She hadn't felt the holes he, Sugarqueen, and Sparky had left behind this keenly for a while. Sokka would have already been out the door finding someone to lead them. Or, more likely, he would have been dragging her along behind himself, his healthy paranoia and love of maps having already led him to pinpoint all the useful escape routes and places of interest. Not to mention, Sugarqueen would have rendered this panic moot. She suddenly realised how much she'd been spoiled with how well they'd all worked together. She'd become used to relying on them. Even Sparky or Fangirl would have gotten a grip by now, especially since Pops was the former's uncle.

"Aang!" she yelled.

The ice fell. She lost track of him again as he ran, and felt the hated vulnerability wash over her. The weight of the tiles bearing Iroh was nothing compared to holding most of the Palace together for a few seconds, but in many ways it was much, much worse.

"Miss Bei Fong?"

"Toph," she corrected, her voice hard. Part of her, the lady, blinked at addressing the Earth King so rudely. That part made her grudgingly add "Your Majesty," as an afterthought.

Kuei said nothing. He was probably still in shock. She split her concentration between holding Iroh up and trying to get the pattern of Kuei's heartbeat. It was difficult now that the ground was splintered and the Palace was alive with chaos. Twinkletoes hadn't gotten everything, it seemed, just the big ones. She didn't want to think about how she'd been able to pick out _his_ pulse so easily, but it was probably because she knew it like her own.

She had only just managed to get a tag on Kuei when she felt him move. "Oh," he exclaimed. "Thank the Spirits you're here and you're safe! I was so worried when I heard the..."

More words were coming out, but Toph wasn't hearing them. Someone else was in the throne room with them? But how? She hadn't heard or felt _anything_ move near the doors since Twinkletoes had left. She bunched her fists and felt her own heart begin to hammer in her chest. What was this? What was happening to her?

It was only when the voice came, and she almost jumped, that Toph belatedly realised that she might be in a little bit of shock too.

"It's all right, little one."

Toph turned towards the sound. She hadn't heard whoever it was coming, but this she could seize on. A woman's voice. An older woman's voice. She sounded like a mother. Toph shook her head and bared her teeth. _Little one. _She already didn't like her. She opened her mouth to say as much, but the other woman got to it first.

"It's all right," she repeated. "We can take care of your friend."

Toph breathed. She wasn't sure if she could trust whoever this person was, but Kuei wasn't screaming and Aang didn't seem to be coming back any time soon and she didn't even know how badly Iroh was hurt. In the end, it was easy enough to nod and settle Iroh back to the floor. It was a lot less easy to stop the thoughts from running around in her head when Aang came back two minutes later, dragging a doctor.

It was an old thought, one that had simmered in her mind ever since they'd left for the Earth Kingdom. But that didn't mean she'd ever meant to let it come to the surface.

_With just Twinkletoes and me, _I'm_ the leader. And I don't always know how to lead._

There was an answer to the implicit problem there. She knew it. She felt for Aang's heartbeat, and wondered if he knew it too.

* * *

Katara was sure she could have cut the air. Was sure that if she did, it would have bled. For two seconds, the burning heat of the Fire Lord's gaze, Mai's quiet assurance, and Sheng's flashing eyes seemed like it would devour them all alive.

And then Sheng dropped his eyes, and turned them to the left. "My son is not an ash eater," he said quietly. He raised his gaze again, locking them with Zuko's. "I would not have you see him like this. It is not... it is not him."

There was a distinct lack of fight to the Minister, like the strength had drained out of his considerably muscular build and only regret and shame were holding him upright. At this apparent non-threat, Katara looked back to Zuko. His golden eyes were hard.

"Explain, General."

Katara recognised the voice. _Hand over the Avatar. _She firmed her own stance, prepared to back him up this time. _As a matter of fact, I _am _a big girl now._ Still, she wasn't surprised when Mai's hand fell on her shoulder. She stopped, but did not move back into a surprised, relaxed state. Instead, adrenaline coursing along her veins, she watched as the scene distilled itself in front of her.

The voice had its effect. Sheng looked as though he were being pulled up by invisible strings, reluctance pushing his features into subservience. "From the look of him, he has eaten Feverflame powder. That is why he is like... this." His gaze dropped to his son, tracing the white features, the cold skin, and his mouth hardened. With it, some pride stiffened his spine once more, and he glared at Zuko. "That is why I asked for the Royal Physician."

"Is he in any immediate danger?" Zuko demanded.

There was silence. And then, "No," Sheng admitted. "It has been long enough, and he is not fitting."

The way he said it was cold, almost distanced, but that didn't stop heat from lacing his next sentence. "But he is my son." He raised his eyes to meet the Fire Lord's once more. "Is it not natural that I should wish him receive the best of care?"

Katara didn't understand why the hand on her shoulder suddenly tightened, nor why the room seemed to suddenly flare hot. Still, the Fire Lord remained expressionless. "Your devotion to Shen Li is commendable. For him to receive the best of care, however, I need to know what this Feverflame powder is."

At that, Sheng seemed genuinely taken aback. "My Lord? I had thought... no." He shook his head and then straightened again, his voice businesslike. Katara could see how he had become a General. From what she'd heard and her own observations, however, the jury was still out on how he was as one of Zuko's Ministers. "What do you know of the Feverflame weed?"

Zuko's face stayed guarded. "Not much. Why don't you enlighten me?"

Sheng's mouth opened, but when Mai's voice sounded instead, right behind her, Katara almost jumped. "The effects of the Feverflame weed were reintroduced to the Capitol not long after you began your search for the Avatar," the noblewoman stated emotionlessly. "Rural communities had been using the seeds for centuries to intensify and 'burn out' fevers. Some even used it in an attempt to produce firebenders, believing that if the mother constantly ingested it while she was pregnant, the child would be born breathing fire."

She paused, surveying the room with flat eyes, seeing the weight of the words as they sunk into everyone. The Fire Lord nodded sharply. "Go on."

"You know how recruiting was," she said. "Many of the people from the countryside brought old medicines and habits with them, and in the training environment some things got out of hand. They found out that the seeds not only helped with fevers, they could induce them when one wasn't sick in a way that was..."

Katara wasn't quite sure what Mai was doing, stretching it out like this. She was sure the noblewoman was up to something. The cold, precise manner fit her like a second skin, but in this atmosphere the dust of the history seemed jarring. As it was, though, Sheng seemed to lose patience. "They used it as a drug," the General interrupted, his face twisted into a mask of military contempt. "A very addictive one, It spread from the soldiers to those higher up. The plague even affected and tainted noble blood." His fathomless gaze fell onto Shen Li again. "But my son was _never_ one of them."

Katara worried her lip and placed her hand against his forehead again. Just like before, it was cold. "But if the seed produces fever, why is he freezing?"

Sheng gave her a disgusted look. "And you call yourself a healer," he muttered. "What do you think happens after a high, _Lady_ Katara?" He paused, as if to draw out his contempt, and then answered his own question with startling finality. "A _fall_."

Katara opened her mouth for a furious reply, but somebody else got there first.

"My question is," Mai murmured, cutting across everyone, "How did he get it in the first place?"

Zuko raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

Mai joined her hands under the sleeves of her robe. "Feverflame seeds are narcotics. But the leaves and the stem can be used to make a virtually untraceable, flammable poison. It was for both reasons that Fire Lord Ozai ordered the fields to be burnt two years ago and outlawed it."

Katara watched Zuko's eyes move to pin Sheng once again. "Well?"

The Minister stared back. "There... is a black market we are aware of," he admitted. "Part of my department works to curb its excesses." His gaze strayed back to Shen Li, and Katara was surprised to see his features actually soften with a mixture of panic and worry. "With all due respect, My Lord, that is really almost all I know about it. The rest can be compiled in a report from the agents involved. May I at least get my son to an infirmary now?"

Zuko hesitated. Then something flickered across his face and he nodded abruptly. "I expect that report as soon as possible, Minister," he said. And then, "Take care of Shen Li. He has leave until he recovers."

The General nodded, bowed stiffly, and moved out to the corridor to call for someone. Katara felt Mai behind her, and then almost jumped as the noblewoman's whisper reached her ears.

"In the right dose, Feverflame loosens tongues. Tell Zuko."

The world froze for a second as the impact of that sentence hit her, and then Katara spun around. But the noblewoman had already straightened, the look on her face strangely more serene than bored. She glanced at her once, and Katara nodded. She wasn't particularly sure what was going on, but she was aware that Mai had been playing the entire situation all along and it was probably best to follow her lead.

Until she'd gotten used to the music, of course. And then she fully intended to dance her own steps.

Mai's eyes cut into hers, and then she nodded too, sharply, as if she agreed with what she saw. Before Katara could figure out anything else, she had turned and glided over to Sheng, and the men with a stretcher already waiting to lever the comatose guard captain away.

"If I might accompany you and Shen Li to the infirmary, General?" she asked, inclining her head just a hair's breadth deeper than she needed to.

Behind her, Katara heard the men beginning to lift Shen Li onto the waiting stretcher, but her eyes stayed fixed on the scene playing in front of her. She still wasn't sure what Mai was doing. But the last few days had taught her that if she wanted to stay on her feet in this strange new world, she could do worse than learn from someone who had survived both the Court and years with Azula.

There was a pause. And then some of the old Sheng that Katara had gotten used to came back, with the hidden smile of a predator.

"It would be our _pleasure_, Lady Mai."

Mai turned, met her eyes on the way, and bowed once more to Zuko. Katara noted it was almost perfunctory. And then, General, noblewoman, and stretcher were borne away, leaving the Fire Lord and the Waterbender alone in his office.

* * *

Zuko was shaken. He could admit that. Even when the door closed, he couldn't stop staring at the spot on the floor where Shen Li had collapsed.

"Sit down," Katara's voice broke his trance. "You look like you're going to fall over."

Anyone else, and he would have ignored them, stood straighter, put his mask back on. But he didn't bother trying to hide from her. She'd seen a lot worse from him than weakness, after all. A lot worse _of_ him. Zuko merely nodded and found his chair again, sinking into it with soundless relief.

"You know what worries me the most?" he said aloud.

She shook her head, found another chair, tugged it closer and sat across from him. It was getting closer to late afternoon, almost evening, but that didn't mean the Fire Nation lacked for warmth. Summer might be dying, but it was still there, and even with the gaps left in the office by everyone else's departure, the room didn't feel cold. That didn't stop Zuko from being oddly comforted by their proximity.

He raised his eyes, and saw voluminous blue ones staring back at him. They were the same ones that had given him the courage to face his uncle. The same ones that had haunted him after Ba Sing Se. The same ones that had narrowed and stood by his side a world ago when they'd fought Azula. He allowed himself the luxury of relaxing in trust that had always been in such short supply, and the words flowed from his mouth. "The fact that I'd never heard of it. Something so big to affect my county and my armies, and _I'd never heard of it._" He shook his head. "How am I supposed to rule and protect my people if I don't even know what might be coming?"

It was a stupid question. He knew it the moment it sounded and shaped itself into the air, a damning question mark. It didn't help that it had singlehandedly coalesced all of his thoughts in the last few days and made them real. It also didn't help that simply saying it aloud had just frozen his insides. He hadn't had anyone else to say it to. Anyone else in the Fire Nation, no matter how close, would have turned away from a Fire Lord displaying such weakness, such doubts.

Katara wasn't Fire Nation.

"You've never known what was coming," she pointed out reasonably. A half-smile curled on her lips, almost nostalgic. "That hasn't ever stopped you. And this won't either."

He didn't say anything. He couldn't. He hadn't known how much he'd needed to hear the words before he'd heard them. There were times when he missed Uncle with such a ferocity that it hurt. Having Katara lean forwards with that shine in her eyes eased the ache a little in a different way.

"Besides, you were away when this Feverflame stuff came to the Capitol," she continued. "And I'm guessing your training as a Prince didn't cover countryside herbs."

He smiled a little before he realised it. "Good guess," he admitted. He pushed away the thickness in his throat and kept going. "We learnt a bit for military aid, but that was more about hot water and compresses and bandages than anything else."

As if that somehow had triggered off a memory, Katara sighed. "Actually, I think you've got more to worry about than just a gap in your knowledge," she said, almost apologetically. "Mai told me one last thing before she left. Apparently Feverflame, in the right doses, makes people talk."

In the sudden downturn of her brow, he knew what she meant instantly. And then fear seized him. "_What_?"

Katara didn't repeat herself. "It explains quite a few things, actually," she said grimly. "This morning, Mai was joined by Sheng at the Prison. And only the four of us knew she was going to be there."

Zuko put his head down, the connections racing through his head. "But then... he seemed so surprised. Almost worried." He snorted. "More emotion than I'd ever thought I'd see from that old fox." His head snapped up. "What did you think?"

He could see her considering it. See her uncertainty. It was strangely heartening to see her expressions run across her face after the last long while of being surrounded by masks.

"He seemed genuinely worried," she said cautiously. "But then, who wouldn't be? He's his father after all."

Zuko couldn't help it. He laughed, and it sounded so terrible he was surprised she didn't flinch back from him. Then again, she'd seen him do and say much worse. He remembered the way she had run to Hakoda and closed his eyes.

"That means very different things here," he said. He didn't realise he was touching his scar reflexively until he felt the roughened skin on his fingers. With a jolt, he forced his hand down again, hoping that she wouldn't think anything of it. She might have seen most of him, but even he didn't like looking at that particular corner of his soul. Not to mention, he didn't want what they had to be soured by pity. He couldn't _stand_ that.

Too late, though. Katara was a healer, after all, and she knew hurt. And she was Katara.

"Zuko?"

The question thrummed his skin, soft, almost painful in its simplicity. Suddenly, he didn't know how to respond. It would be very easy just to make a glib comment about the difference in their cultures, or even just explain to her more in depth about families and the Court. But he was Zuko, and she was Katara, and he was as terrible at lying as she was concerned with those she cared about.

Still, he had to say _something_. Zuko was just opening his mouth, not quite sure what to say, when a knock sounded on the door and saved him.

"My Lord?"

Zuko blinked, recognising the voice. "Come in."

The royal messenger stepped past the threshold, bowing as he did so. "Fire Lord Zuko," he said formally. "The scouts from the Weiji Coast have returned. They want to make a formal report."

He looked instantly to Katara. She nodded, and he tried to focus on her assent rather than on the concern he still saw there. "It's been enough time for them to get back," she confirmed aloud.

Zuko exhaled, relieved and annoyed and excited at the same time. Finally, they might get some more answers about the rebel soldiers. "I'll receive them in the throne room," he decided. The messenger bowed again and left. Zuko stood to retrieve his robes and all the other formalities such a report demanded, and was met with Katara's piercing gaze as she rose too.

"I'm coming with you," she said.

For the second time that day, she rendered him ineloquent. "What?" he demanded.

Katara crossed her arms. "Don't be stupid," she said. "Shen Li was your Chief Bodyguard, right? And he's out cold right now. Someone has to come along and watch your back."

He felt a genuine smile grace his lips then, wide and full. "Thank you," he said quietly. "I appreciate it. But you don't have to worry about me. I'll have other guards, and you should have a rest."

Katara raised her eyebrow. "A rest from what? The utterly exhausting activities of speaking with all of five people today?"

Zuko chuckled. "I'm just saying," he said. The robes were on, as was the crown, and he was almost ready to go. "The boring meetings and reports are my fight, not yours."

Steps sounded outside in the corridor. He knew it was more guards, come to escort him. From the easing set of Katara's shoulders, it seemed she had heard them too.

"Okay then," she acknowledged, moving to leave. "But only because we both know you're going to condense it down for me later and save me from all the boring parts."

Zuko startled, half-way between gathering his official seals. "I am?"

Katara rolled her eyes before she met his again, her blue stare calm and determined. "Yes, you are. I helped _free_ those scouts, Zuko." She gestured her hand around the room in a wide sweep. "This is my fight too."

Zuko had words that leapt into his mind at that, but they were somehow washed away by an almost dizzying surge of relief. He was pretty sure she didn't know what she was saying. It was one thing for her to have played the Painted Lady and helped Mai with the rebels. It was another thing to sit in on a Court dinner and distract his Ministers, and then offer to investigate the riots.

It was a completely and utterly different thing, however, to imply such an overarching partnership with his work. He didn't know what to make of it. Fire Nation internal politics had been virtually untouched by foreigners for over a hundred years. This wasn't some Court alliance that depended on loyalty or bargaining or power.

It was something else, and he had no name for it. But that didn't mean it was bad. At least, he didn't think so. And with Katara waiting for him to stop being a tongue-tied idiot and respond, he could work the details out later.

"Thank you," Zuko rasped, the words feeling painfully inadequate.

"You're welcome," she grinned, then slipped out the door. The smile she left behind stayed with him all the way to the empty space of the Throne room, and the answers that lay waiting there.

* * *

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A/N - I know apologies are getting really old. Suffice to say that I'm sorry to have kept you all waiting, and I'm afraid I've gone quite rusty in the break. I only hope that continued pushing at this fic will bring it back up to scratch. In the mean time, I'd just like to thank you all again for being so patient with me, this story, and all of our flaws. This story really wouldn't be the same without you, and your wonderful, constructive, inspiring reviews.

Rest assured, however, that no matter how long the breaks may be, come hell or writer's block (the latter which has already visited me several times), I do intend to finish this story.

My thanks again,

-Shadowhawke


	10. Barbs so Bright

**Chapter X: Barbs so Bright**

* * *

_They walked in flame with barbs so bright,_

_Their blades outshone the night,_

_And all who saw, saw only light,_

_Until death set them right._

_

* * *

_

Katara wandered aimlessly down the corridors. She told herself she was trying to learn the Palace a little more, trying to make some sense of this place that was still foreign to her. A few days of rest in its halls had not wiped away the image that had built up in her head over the last year, and over her lifetime, of the Fire Nation Palace as a place to be invaded, destroyed, demolished. It was a symbol of everything she'd hated, after all.

Or what she still hated. Katara stepped slowly on lush carpet and took in the vaulted ceilings, the blood-red drapes, the gold-capped staircases and the lovingly wrought statues of Fire Nation soldiers, complete with detailed etchings of their skull-like helmets. She shook her head. How had anyone ever expected a Nation with this level of... well, aggressive nationalism to stay confined to its own borders?

Then she frowned at herself. Only a few days here in the palace, only a month or two here in the Fire Nation itself, but she _had_ learnt something. The Fire Nation was no monolith. There were factions, provinces, families, _individuals_, who all had their very own unique idea of what should happen next.

Katara chuckled quietly to herself. She ran her fingers along some of the tapestries and took her mind off their subjects and applied it instead to noticing how soft and lovely the material was. Now that she was in the Palace itself, doing what she was doing, she surely counted as one of those individuals. And she had a _very_ clear image of what she wanted to happen next.

"Look girls! It's... oh... _Lady_ Katara."

The words were perfect. So was the tone. It giggled, dripping poison with each curve. Katara turned around slowly, hand balanced lightly on her water flask.

She saw the five Fire Nation girls and felt her heart sink a little. She recognised one or two of them. The one at the head, who had presumably just spoken, was the girl who had stared at her the hardest the night of the Court Dinner. She had a lovely porcelain face, and her fashionably cut silken kimono did little to belie her agile step. Katara narrowed her eyes. If the girl hadn't been trained as a warrior, Katara would down her dirty sparring water.

The others following her were varied. Two were tittering, the way their eyes smiled suggesting they were close sisters. The other two were virtually expressionless, and Katara recognised the Court mask embedded in their features even now. But the way they flanked their friend... if Katara had had hackles, they would have been rising.

The noble who had spoken paused then, so theatrically that Katara choked on her own sly greeting. In any case, whatever she had been about to say fled from her mind when the girl finally opened her mouth once more.

"Or should we say, the famed _Avatar's_ Waterbender?"

Katara couldn't help it. She sputtered. There were words within words in that sentence; questions as well that she wasn't sure she could comprehend. All she knew was that she should be calm, play the game that Mai had tried to teach her, only she couldn't. Memories of the churning discomfort nestled below her stomach were gathering in her gut now. Not that long ago, she had angrily struck out to remember some of herself again. To reforge her identity in a world after war. Now, the _way_ that the girl had said it, that burning flare of derision as if she were Aang's _property_ and not a person... that was enough to send Katara over the edge.

Luckily, she had always been able to do menacing well.

"_Excuse me?_"

Her voice was not low or deadly or poisoned, the way the other girl's had been. It was loud and outraged and demanding, and the unexpected difference was enough to make one of the tittering nobles flinch back. Katara smiled coldly, but it turned into a scowl when she saw how unfazed the leader was.

"Oh?" One eyebrow tilted to perfection, head inclined in polite disbelief. "You mean to say that you _didn't_ help the Avatar?" She turned to her followers. "_I_ heard that she fought for him, healed him, almost died for him. That she was always by his side in the last days of the war. Sounds like she was the _Avatar's_ waterbender to me."

Katara straightened, her eyes narrowing. "That's ridiculous," she said, as equitably as she could. She was coldly furious now, the pain of the way she and Aang had parted washing over her in alternating tides of grief and shame and anger. "If you use that logic, you might as well call me the Fire Lord's waterbender."

There was a poisoned silence.

And then, a barbed challenge, "Are you?"

Katara almost stopped breathing. She hadn't exactly been thinking when those words had come out of her mouth. She'd been riding the wave of her instincts and anger instead. Now Mai's dry words from a mere hour ago were boiling up from her memories, sending her emotions into a panicked roil. _I'm not suggesting you marry Zuko._

With sheer force of will, Katara pushed the thoughts back down to be dealt with later. She was good at denial. And what she needed right now was a clear head to best a group of women trained to survive in their country since they were born on their own ground.

A sudden epiphany hit her. She had beaten Azula _by being herself_. By using her own powers and her own strength and cunning. Mai's education was useful to the point that she could understand where her opponents were coming from, but there was no way that a few days of information overload could ever hope to make her one with a different Nation's Court. If she was to be judged by those standards, she had already failed, at any rate.

But she was not a member of the Fire Nation, and it was a different world now. She had played a part in shaping it. And water drowned fire, and could dance circles around it too.

Katara put one hand on her cocked hip, the other on her water flask. "I am my own person," she stated, the burn in her heart somehow desperately needing those words to be voiced. And then she smirked. "And as you said, I am _Lady_ Katara."

"Ah, Lady Katara, I was just looking for you."

Everyone froze at the sudden intrusion of the new voice, free of vitriolic inflections and carrying what seemed to only be an undercurrent of faint amusement. Recovering herself, Katara pivoted slowly, staying in control of the situation, the hand on her hip dropping but the one on her flask firmly staying put.

When she saw who the newcomer was, she wasn't sure whether to be glad or to be even more cautious. "Lady Kaeda," she greeted her, head inclining in a small bow.

The Minister for Trade and Economy's wife calmly folded her hands in front of her. "So polite to your elders," she observed, her voice frighteningly devoid of anything. But Katara saw the set to the older woman's face, recognising again the hunger that had flickered so yearningly that night at the Court Dinner. Combined with the sharp slant of her intelligence, Katara decided wariness was in order.

"You were looking for me?" she took her hand off her flask now and deliberately turned her back to the other girls. "How might I assist you?"

Kaeda smiled, her features smoothing over and the faint trace of wrinkles pulling at her lips. "A bit of a private matter, my dear. I would be grateful if you could accompany me to my rooms to discuss it."

She looked over Katara's shoulder then, her eyes widening slightly as if she'd only just noticed the others. "Oh, Akane! I didn't expect to see you here. You do know that your tutor is likely looking for you, don't you?"

"I... yes, Lady Kaeda." Katara turned back just in time to see the girl try to sweep herself up regally. The effect was a little spoiled by the flat stare and the almost pinched look to her face.

Kaeda's smile was peaceable this time, almost placid. "Do send my regards to your mother while you're there. I'm sure Lady Anming is proud that her daughter is trying to apply her studies."

Katara stifled the grin threatening to break out over her face as Akane bowed just long enough to satisfy propriety, and then turned to glide back down the corridor, her coterie following. But the urge to grin died when the last girl to leave, one of the expressionless ones, stopped for a moment. And then, inexplicably, she turned and inclined her head to Katara, low enough to make it an almost-bow.

Surprise and shock froze her mind, but Katara felt her muscles flex in recognition, pulling her into a jerky bow in response. When she had straightened and her thoughts had caught up with her, she saw the Fire Nation girl regarding her calmly.

"My name is Lin," she said. "And for what it's worth, I was there that day at the Agni Kai arena."

She turned to follow her friends before Katara could respond. But she didn't need to, because the next moment Kaeda was at her side, placing a surprisingly warm hand on her elbow. "For what it's worth," she echoed, "I was there as well."

Her eyes were sharp, pin-bright. Her smile was a matching mirror. "And if you are not busy now," she went on smoothly, "My home would be honoured by your presence."

Katara fought the urge to shake herself. She didn't know if she could extricate herself without looking rude, and Kaeda was one of Zuko's Minister's wives. As dangerous as the woman was, her dissatisfaction with her husband, showcased for all who had eyes to see that night of the Court dinner, might prove to be a valuable source of information regarding the pit of viper-snakes Zuko was currently wading in. Besides, she couldn't help but be a little bit curious as to what this noblewoman might want from her.

Katara lifted her chin. "Lead the way."

As they walked, she obliquely studied her companion. Behind that mask, there was a frighteningly self-satisfied look to her. But it was still hungry yet. The overall effect, Katara felt uncomfortably, was like that of a lynx-cat who had just manoeuvred a sparrow-mouse into a corner.

* * *

Mai hid her triumph with ease as she glided along by General Sheng's side. It had almost been too easy back there to goad him into revealing more emotion that he should have, while simultaneously displaying her own intelligence and use as well. If she was lucky, both would help her along the path to getting a valuable foothold onto Zuko's most dangerous Minister.

She got a reminder of that when Sheng finally spoke. "Agni's fortune must truly have smiled upon me. I did not expect to have your aid in explaining things to the Fire Lord."

He let the pause draw out, just short enough to let her know she wasn't expected to immediately respond, just long enough to let her know how in control he was and to make the next question sound offhand. "Might I ask how you came to arrive with Lady Katara?"

Mai had already prepared an answer for that on the way to the Palace, and so truth-seasoned lies fell easily enough from her lips. "Since the waterbender's returned, Ty Lee seems to have lost her senses." She let the General make of that what he would, and shrugged. "You know how I put up with her."

Not a direct answer, but Sheng likely hadn't expected one. She waited patiently for him to put two and two together instead. The infirmary was not far away now, only a few more paces, and his eyes gleamed with understanding just as they reached the doors. "Your loyalty is most commendable," he murmured, no trace of sarcasm or even laughter in his voice. He glanced ahead as the nurses parted way for the stretcher-bearers, and then lengthened his stride naturally to talk to the head nurse.

Mai clasped her hands behind her back in the perfect picture of the demure noblewoman as she waited. Head slightly bowed, she knew no one would realise how intently she was listening in. Her eyes flickered as Sheng demanded a private room and half-hourly supervision. She wasn't sure if she was seeing the concerned parent or the paranoid politician, but she was leaning towards the latter.

The room chosen, she followed the procession as they moved to the back of the infirmary. Her eyes darted towards the walls once or twice. The hospital took up a modest section of the southern wing, and many more wards sprouted off from corridors than first met the eye. Like the rest of the Palace, treatment depended on rank, and so she wasn't surprised when they entered a fair-sized room. The bed lay on the far wall, two cushioned chairs placed around it in such a way that the occupants could keep an eye on the door while also tending to their loved one. Mai smiled inwardly. A noble's room indeed.

The men laid Shen Li down without tenderness, with a ruthless efficiency that spoke of practice and training. With that same focus, they covered him with a thin blanket, removed the stretcher, and then left. The instant they did, Sheng moved to fill their space. For a moment, Mai watched as the General hovered over the bed, less like a vulture and more like a hawk over his eggs. And then he straightened.

"Much as I would like to stay, you know I have work to do," he murmured. Mai wasn't quite sure whether he was talking to his unconscious son, her, or both. And then he turned to her. "Lady Mai," he said, both an acknowledgement and a farewell. "I look forwards having dinner with you tomorrow."

Mai dipped her head in reply, not a flicker on her face showing that she'd almost, _almost_ forgotten that arrangement in the excitement. He smiled slightly at that, a hawk's smile, before he turned and left.

As if his departure were some sort of signal, a nurse bustled through the door less than five seconds after he'd gone through. He paused when he saw her standing there, as if surprised, and then bowed, awaiting her orders.

"I will stay until he wakes," Mai murmured, by way of explanation.

The nurse stiffened for a second with surprise, and then continued. "Of-of course, Lady Mai," he stuttered. "In that case, I'll bring two glasses and some water. He'll probably want some when he wakes, and you'll want some while you wait."

Mai nodded her assent and sat down in the chair next to the bed. Moments later, the nurse came with the water and the glasses, checked over Shen Li again, and then left vaguely bewildered after Mai didn't seem inclined to ask any questions about when he was going to wake up. That meant peace for another half hour, then, and Mai used it to good effect. There were many things to think over, many plans to make, and many things to say the next time she saw Zuko and Katara and Ty Lee.

Three more times, the nurse came and went. Mai noted that on every occasion, it was the same one, and narrowed her eyes in suspicion. She was relatively sure that approaching the threshold nervously every time one came to check on a patient was not part of standard procedure. Perhaps she was too paranoid, too finely stretched and tuned, but still...

She was pondering her plan on how to calculatedly nudge the man off balance enough to get some answers the next time he visited when Shen Li woke.

"You," he rasped and Mai couldn't stop herself from blinking. With his voice hoarse from disuse and drug-induced fever, he almost sounded like Zuko. "You... are the last person I would have ever expected to see here."

Mai recollected herself from the shock with grim training and experience. "What do you remember?" she countered, dodging his words and all they insinuated. Or at least, that's what she'd meant to do. He kept staring at her instead, something warring in his expression. That was when she remembered the man in front of her had never shown a predilection for sticking to the rules.

He struggled to rise to his elbow, as if he couldn't bear the power difference in their stances. He managed to get there before she could snap out his stupidity. Eyes now nearly level with hers, he regarded her minutely. She felt the urge to turn away from that scintillation. But that would have been a missed step, a weakness in the dance, and she was _not_ going to lose face in front of him. She stared back instead, and wished oddly for a second that she was dealing with the father and not the son. Manoeuvring Sheng, for all his greater power and possible antagonism, seemed just... easier. Less... involved.

"I remember," he said distinctly, "Liking you. The things you said. The way you moved. The way _we_ moved." His eyes were clear now, almost frighteningly so. "Then I remember you telling me you would abandon me."

He paused. "That hurt."

Mai almost, _almost_, stopped her jaw from dropping. As it was, she let her mouth hang open just a second before she snapped it back closed. Out of all the sly, indirect, sparring barbs she and Shen Li had ever traded, she'd never expected two words of stark honesty to hit their mark. She felt their impact coil around her control like wires, grasping, and for a moment things seemed to slip.

Then gravity won the battle with his body and he slipped off his palm to land bonelessly on the bed again. And Mai realised his eyes were a little too clear, and closed her own.

She hadn't expected this.

For all her knowledge on Feverflame, she'd never actually seen someone drugged for interrogation purposes. There was a reason it had never been adopted wholesale across the country for law, or inside the political machinations of the Court; doses at that level tended to be deadly to Firebenders. There were no records on what such doses might do to non-benders. She supposed she was looking at one now. One who was still, obviously, at some level affected. Otherwise he had _no reason_ to be acting the way he was, or saying the things he was. _None._

Which left her with a rather interesting conundrum.

Mai opened her eyes. He was still _looking_ at her. She swallowed irritably. He was making this harder _deliberately_, she knew it. Never mind that he clearly still wasn't completely in control of his faculties, which meant it wasn't likely he was able to manipulate _anything_ deliberately at the moment. She just knew he was.

Mai slowly tightened her grip on her robes. "I'm... sorry," she said, carefully, delicately. She let the apology swim out into the air and have as many meanings as he liked. "What I meant was, what do you remember of while you were drugged?"

The guard captain blinked slowly, almost drowsily. She wondered whether he was going to pass out again. She wouldn't be surprised. He was still pale, and even moving as he had must have drained a lot of his energy. He had enough to wet his lips, though, and respond. "Drugged?"

Mai clinically examined her sudden urge to just leave. It was obvious that he wasn't going to be as much use as she'd hoped, and now that he was awake, she was more certain he'd wake again, not slip into a coma forever. Not to mention, a few words in the right ears and she would know anyone who entered the infirmary to 'visit' him.

She looked at him again. His lips were cracked, so badly that she was sure any second now they would start bleeding. She turned her next words into a half-whisper. They came out, unfortunately, sounding more like a plea. "You don't remember _anything_ about being drugged, or people asking you questions about Zuko or Katara or me?"

Shen Li stared at her. Wet his lips again. Blood began to well up through the cracks. "I... was... drugged," he said slowly, as if he was testing out how they sounded on his tongue. He blinked again, his eyelids drooping a little lower this time when he reopened them. "I was... drugged."

It was not _pity_ that she felt, she told herself. Not even a strange sense of helplessness. Mai turned away from that glassy, piercing, haunting gaze, almost fumbling for the pitcher and one of the glasses on the table. When had the nurse put those down again? It seemed like a long time ago.

She poured two glasses, and thrust one out above the air where his hand lay. "Here," she said, the roughness of an emotion she was refusing to identify leaking into her voice before she could stop it.

He blinked again. As if in tandem, she felt her irritation flare again. What did he want her to do? Pour it down his throat?

"Water," she said, unnecessarily, shaking the glass a little.

As if in response, she saw his long fingers flex on the sheets. The movement drew her eyes to them. She remembered how dextrous those fingers were. A warrior's hands. Like hers. But the man lying on the bed in front of her right now seemed less of a hardened Fire Nation warrior-politician at the moment, and more just a man.

Mai didn't jerk when his fingers suddenly reached up to coil around the bottom of the glass. She merely released her hold and sat back. She _was_ in control of this situation, more than she had known she would be when she'd first insinuated herself into it. She sat back, and watched the glass make its slow, trembling journey to his lips. She'd only poured it half full, a qualified test, which he passed when he managed to drink without spilling everything or propping himself up first.

She couldn't watch while he was drinking, though. Mai looked away until the glass was empty, trying to use the moments of reprieve to pinpoint exactly what was wrong with her.

She knew herself well enough to find it a moment later. It had been difficult enough to get used to seeing emotions painted liberally across Katara's face, and they had been at home there. Shen Li and vulnerability, on the other hand... it felt wrong.

Fire Nation politics had always been about relative strengths, relative weaknesses, relative secrets and relative truths. The trust and vulnerability implicit in complete honesty was startling. When those were drug-induced, Mai had the distinct feeling she was taking dishonourable disadvantage of an opponent weakened not by stupidity or poor play.

She wracked her brains. _It must be more than that_. It didn't seem right that she was thinking like this. Mai had never had many compunctions when it came to matters like these. Her fingers tightened in her robes again. It was _him_. _He_ was making things difficult, and...

His voice broke into the circle of her thoughts. The clunk of the glass settling on the table sounded a second after. Both dragged her unwilling attention back to him.

The drink had certainly done him some good. His eyes seemed less fervid now, his skin less breakable. It hadn't slaked his exhaustion, though. His words were already slurred with the coming of sleep, or perhaps unconsciousness. She wasn't sure she wanted to know which.

"The... last thing I remember was going home last night," he said. He was fading fast, but he still managed to look faintly discomfited as his eyes began to close. "Or was it... this morning?"

Mai waited until his breathing had evened out, and his eyelids had fully closed to touch the hollows above his cheeks. And then she let out her own breath. She couldn't say she wasn't surprised. There had been reports of Feverflame addicts who took the drug in relatively low quantities experiencing memory loss. Perhaps Shen Li was lucky that more hadn't been wiped clean.

That was the only reason she could find to justify why she was leaning forwards now, her voice low in the quiet of his breathing. He wouldn't remember this. He was asleep, and even if he wasn't, the drug would take care of the rest.

That was the only reason she was doing this. That, and the fact she knew they were utterly, irrevocably, alone.

"I don't trust you," Mai whispered. The words seemed to take on a weight of their own inches over his skin. She stood up, suddenly aware of how close to him she had unconsciously drawn. With the distance, it was somehow easier to say what she wanted to next. "But for what it's worth, I may have lied."

And then, not daring to question herself, not daring to question him, Mai all but fled the infirmary.

* * *

Ren and Sha at his back, Zuko tried to calm his breathing as he paced the short distance to the Throne Room. Their weights were different to Shen Li's, it felt more awkward to have their burly presence with him. But he couldn't deny that it was comforting at least to not walk alone. It truly wasn't paranoia if people were out to get you, after all.

The Throne room opened out before him, and he moved through it. Climbed up to the dais he sometimes still couldn't quite believe was his. Of course, nothing else could quite explain why his royal robes felt so heavy or why there was a Crown burning his forehead.

Hiroko, his Court Seneschal, supplicated himself briefly. Zuko nodded once, allowing the man to continue.

"Sergeant Ling will be giving the report, my Lord, accompanied by the rest of his scouts. After that, we have another meeting scheduled to talk about winter supplies and..."

Zuko cut him off, trying not to let the weariness show. "I am aware of my timetable today, Hiroko. Thank you for your time."

Hiroko bowed again, and left, doubtless to review once more his ledgers of all those clamouring for an audience with the Fire Lord, and his task of stretching and bending time. Zuko watched the doors close and wished for them to open again. He wanted news of the rebels. Having to wait as long as he already had was making his palms itch. So much of his future policy depended on knowing what and how great the threat was, including what to do with the refugees. In fact, he was half of the mind to dress the Sergeant down after the report for succumbing to pride and not giving Mai and Katara at least some preliminary information.

The doors opened. A little bit of Zuko relaxed, his knuckles no longer so white on the arms of the throne. A small company of five scouts, their uniforms marking them as just out of the Academy as Shen Li had warned him, proceeded down the aisle. Zuko frowned. There was something a little off about the way they looked. He had never seen newcomers to the Throne Room approach the line of flame with so little trepidation. If they were as fresh and naive and as fanatically dedicated as Mai, Katara and Shen Li had implied, he would have thought he would have at least seen a little nervousness, or some awe.

He didn't have long to ponder on the strangeness, though. They approached with remarkable speed, stopping only a meter away from the curtain of flame. The man in the lead, who Zuko presumed was Sergeant Ling, knelt down then, his face to the floor.

"My Lord."

The five voices simultaneously echoed down the length of the great room. Zuko suppressed a brief shiver, and then got irritated at himself. He could hardly say it was _cold_, inches from his own flame as he was.

"Sergeant Ling," he said, voice flat as he shoved his emotions away. He could deal with those later. Maybe he _was_ getting too paranoid, too jittery. Maybe it was just because Ren and Sha were not Shen Li and he was getting used to the difference. "Your report?"

It was customary for a formal report for the giver to straighten, still kneeling, and look the monarch in the eye as proof of truth. Zuko blinked as Sergeant Ling changed his kneel into a crouch, and when not one voice, but five spoke in strange and eerie unison.

"There is no peace in this Nation. There is no peace in our world. There are people who do not understand that."

Zuko gave himself one moment as the shock speared him. And then he was on his feet and the poisoned darts flew and the flames roared high.

* * *

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**A/N** - Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed after the last chapter. It's amazing and humbling to know so many are still following this after my atrocious breaks in updating. Thank you again.

Also, apologies for the all-Fire Nation chapter. Despite all my conniving, it just ended up that way and refused to budge when I tried to edit. I promise more Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom action will be seen in the near future.

Thank you all again,

- Shadowhawke


	11. Promise

**Chapter XI: Promise**

* * *

_I promise I won't be there,_

_I promise I won't try,_

_I promise that I don't care,_

_I promise I won't lie_

_

* * *

_They never got out of the cold.

Sokka was carefully manoeuvring himself on the ice. It took intense concentration to make sure his crutches didn't slip as they made their way to the inn Amak had pointed out before he'd left. From the gleam of new ice, Sokka thought it had been hastily renovated in the last few weeks. Then, just as he was turning his eyes away to navigate the steps upwards, glad for the practice going up to Arnook's damn Council building had given him, a loud cry split the air.

Sokka fell.

There was a dizzying blur of motion as crutch and arms and leg all flailed, trying to keep his balance. And then the hard, icy ground was rushing up to meet him, and he instinctively cradled his head and bent to absorb the impact. Years of living in the South Pole made him clench his teeth and brace himself for the cold and the pain.

Warmth and strength enveloped him instead.

Suki staggered a little under his weight as he came crashing down, but it was a qualified bend. From the way she bent and pushed back, setting him upright again, her posture had already adapted to him, had expected it when she'd moved two quick steps forwards to catch him. Sokka blinked at the speed of it all, but he had never been slow, and so he leaned into her arms before he could think.

He felt her tighten her grip gloriously around him for one, two, three heartbeats, and then suddenly step back.

Sokka almost fell again, cursing. But the pessimistic side of him had expected this, so he levered his crutch just to the right instead. It clunked into a rougher patch of snow, enough to give him at least a little bit of traction. But by the time he'd stopped fighting for balance, he'd missed his chance. Suki's face was narrowed in concentration, her ear cocked to the wind. "What _is_ that?"

Sokka blinked again, then cursed as awareness of the outer world hit him once again. The cry that had unbalanced him in the first place had been joined by another, and then another - a wave of emotion reverberating through the frozen city. He couldn't quite place what emotion it was, though. He thought he heard pride, or a fierce rage, or even honour and love.

But he could pick where it was coming from.

"The Council of Elders' Building," Sokka said grimly, fingers tightening on his crutches. He looked at her then, and what he saw made a knife press up between his ribs. Suki had understood what he meant, how he had got there, and then where he was going in about the same time he took to get there. The realisation tasted like hot, burning regret slicked by melting ice. He shook off those thoughts though. She was standing there as if she were made of ice herself, and he wasn't going to dash himself against that wall again for nothing. He bore his own hurts now too, and wolves preferred to lick them in private when there was no one else around.

Her next words, though, which were maybe what he might have possibly been getting ready to say next, drove the realisation in again. Or maybe it was just the way her voice was sharpened by the soberness on her face. "Arnook's report talked about unrest and instability."

He couldn't help it. His old grin spread across his face, helped along by a dose of caustic acid. "Want to get a first hand taste?"

What he hadn't expected was the brief quirk of her lips, and then the shake of her head. "Are you insane? You want to go riot-surfing with a broken leg?"

Sokka had had several moments of discomfort with his injury before. Usually at the moments where he'd jarred it when it was still tender and his world was a world of 'ow', or when he wanted to go help Aang and Zuko with whatever crazy thing they were doing and had to stay behind. But he'd been all right with it at some level, the level that said it was the end of the war and he totally deserved a chance and an excuse to rest.

Now, he had never hated the break so much in his life.

"I swear," he muttered viciously to himself. "I am sitting outside the healer's hut until Yagoda sees me."

His head was down and to the side, and so he didn't see the sudden hesitancy in her eyes. And then a hand was squeezing his - just once, and tightly - a warrior's grasp (or a lover's, his heart said) and it was gone.

"I broke my arm once," Suki said, matter of factly. "Accident in training. Was proud of the girl who did it, but hated her at the same time." And then, unnecessarily, "We didn't have healers, so I had to _rest_."

He caught the implications, all of them. He wanted to hold her, or maybe laugh with her. He settled for his caustic grin again instead. "Well then. Meet up back here when we can?"

She nodded. He noticed that she glanced back once at him, and then strode away quickly, a lithe, deadly hunter's step on her even as she was, bundled up in much more than she was probably used to.

She looked small against the snow, against the towering, icy heart of the Northern Pole. Maybe that's why his mouth said it before he could stop himself. "Be careful."

She paused and looked back, face tight. He felt the familiar feeling of his foot being shoved down his throat, and cursed himself. _What was it that crazy old Fortune teller said? Damn it, I wish Katara was here, I need to talk to someone. Oh La, I hope she's okay. _

He was so far gone he almost didn't hear her when she started speaking, almost didn't remember what she was even responding to. But then his mind finally caught up with his ears.

"I will," she said. And a ghost of a smile crossed her own lips. "Promise."

* * *

**A/N**: Hey everyone,

I know I haven't written in a long time. For that I apologise. I've realised, recently, that the most unfair thing is that I haven't let everyone know why. The simple reason of it is that I've decided to finally act upon a lifelong dream I've had - to publish an original novel. And so I've decided that I'd like to complete a draft of it before I get back to fanfiction.

This fic is not dead. I've spent too long planning it, love it too much, and am humbled and amazed by all the support and reviews I've gotten for it. I do intend to finish it as well, just not right now. Sorry for the long silence. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, read, and stayed on this journey with me despite my delays. Your patience is awe-inspiring, and I hope to reward it someday soon.

With that in mind - this is a tiny, tiny part of Chapter 11 that I managed to write up to give you something for Christmas or whatever holiday you celebrate on this day. I know it's pretty puny, and I apologise for it. But what it does represent as well is a promise. I will finish this story eventually, and thank you so much to all of you who have been so patient with me.

Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays,

-Shadowhawke


	12. Promise, Part II

**Chapter XII: Promise, Part II**

Katara didn't need Mai, or Shen Li, or Ty Lee, or even Zuko himself to tell her that she was in trouble. Kaeda was waiting patiently across the threshold to her rooms, inconspicuously blocking the door. Her smile was as sharp and innocent as a stray piece of broken, beautiful glass, but Katara had no idea what she wanted, or what she was waiting for.

The awkward silence stretched out for five painful seconds before Kaeda graciously relented. "It is traditional for a young foreigner to bow to the hostess before entering."

Katara was glad her dusky skin hid her flush as she hastily inclined her head. But inside she was furiously thinking. This was the fourth 'casual' comment the Minister's wife had dropped on the way to her quarters. She lived in the Western wing of the Palace when she didn't live in her family's estate in the Fujin Province, so the walk hadn't even been that long.

And there was only so much barbed criticism she could take. She was starting to wonder if she hadn't just stumbled from the frying pan into the fire.

"Excuse me," Katara tried to make her voice smooth, and just as sure as the other woman's. "It's _customary_ in the Water Tribes to offer a guest some sort of indication of what's happening."

Her heart was beating fast as the Minister's wife slowly inclined her head. She wondered if the woman could read her just as easily as she thought she'd read the Fire Nation nobles those few nights ago. Probably, with the way that finely plucked eyebrow was arching. She swallowed drily. Perhaps she'd only thought she could understand, perhaps everyone was dancing around her in a dragon waltz that she just didn't know the steps to...

Kaeda smiled. "Well in that case," she said. "Come in, and I will tell you everything. Some traditions must be observed."

Katara eyed the rooms beyond carefully. They didn't seem all that threatening. The opulence of the Fire Nation Palace was starting to wear thin on her. Which was good. Katara thought that in these times, if she'd kept on gaping after every turned corner, someone would have eaten her alive.

She stepped through, chin raised and steady.

Kaeda's quarters were elegant, but oddly personalised. Katara was used to the red drapes and gold carpet now, but there was an intimate portrait of her and her children hanging from the welcoming chamber's wall, and a sprig of warm flowers decorated each corner. She kept her eyes mostly on the woman herself though, who'd shut the door behind her the moment she stepped through. The click of the key in the lock had been oddly muffled in the lushly carpeted room, but Katara'd heard it nonetheless.

"Please, sit," the noblewoman gestured her into an adjoining chamber, this one smaller and cosier. Cushions lay piled up into tasteful heaps against the walls, but although they looked comfortable, Katara tensed when she heard the sound of a key in a lock again.

"I'd prefer to stand, please," she said through a dry throat.

Kaeda turned away from the door with an impatient wave. "Sit," she said, folding herself down onto the soft red and black cushions with exquisite grace. "I'm not going to hurt you."

The waterbender opened her mouth, about to deliver a biting retort, but stopped when she saw the catlike look on the other woman's face. "Although I appreciate that you are intelligent enough to be careful. Please, sit," she said again, and Katara, to her surprise, found herself sitting down warily opposite her.

"So," she said, trying to regain some level of control over the situation. "What did you want to see me for, my Lady?"

Kaeda's eyes sharpened with amusement. "Such manners," she murmured. "I expected less, from a peasant."

Katara's mouth dropped. "_Excuse_ me-"

The Minister's wife cut over her protests like a knife. "You have to understand, that's what _they_ see you as. Even Sheng, although I doubt he underestimates you quite as much as the others."

"They?"

Kaeda's features narrowed. Her hands were clasped over her folded knees, and her head was tilted in just the right way to throw the shadow from the warm torchlight straight into her face. That was when Katara realised this room had no windows, only a tightly funnelled, almost invisible vent that let the smoke out.

"I can't afford for you to be stupid, waterbender." The Minister's wife said slowly. "Too much is riding on this."

Katara gritted her teeth. Stupid? "They," she repeated aloud, and this time it wasn't a question. "Zuko's Ministers. The Fire Nation elite."

The smile sharp enough to cut stone reappeared. "Correct. And have you noticed anything else about them?"

Katara furrowed her brow. "That they're all reptilian bastards?" she said, before remembering that one of them was her husband. Horror replaced the vitriol in a cold, shocking rush. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that-"

This time, the noblewoman actually laughed. It was a cruel laugh, but a laugh nonetheless. "Close, but not quite. They're all men, and most of them are old. Old as the hills. What does that tell you?"

Another question, said in that lilting way, from a mouth below eyes bright with both confidence and sheer smugness. It felt like she was being tested, but she didn't know what she was being tested for. Katara felt the urge to snap at her to just be _straight_. The way she was talking, she clearly knew the answers to all her questions. There was a goal to all of this, and Katara just wanted to get there. She didn't want to spend any more time than necessary in this small, closed, stifling room. Even with just the two of them there, the heat in the enclosed space was making her both drowsy and a little claustrophobic.

She interlaced her fingers tightly on her own lap, feeling the urge to put her hands on her hips but realising that that would make her look ridiculous while sitting down. "Lady Kaeda, with all due respect, I'd like to know where you're going with this."

Kaeda stared at her, the brightness in her gaze dimming slightly. "I will not always be here to do your thinking for you, waterbender." A little of the smugness returned. "Although I do intend to live quite a long time. Which is why I need your trust, mind, and absolute secrecy on this matter."

Katara raised her eyebrow in return. It felt good. "When you haven't told me anything about it? Not likely."

Perhaps it was the stubbornness she'd deliberately infused into her voice. Perhaps it was just the way she'd said it. Either way, Kaeda's face frosted over into a still mask, even as her knuckles whitened across her knees.

"Look," she bit, and Katara was surprised to hear how marked the contrast was between the exterior and the voice. "I appreciate the paranoia, Lady Katara. In fact, I applaud it. But I am your only friend in the palace right now, and you are playing a very dangerous game. I suggest that you cooperate with me."

The air seemed to distill in her ears. There was only the crackling of the torch, and her own harsh breathing. "Lady Kaeda," she replied severely, matching title for title, " All I know is that you made a rather inflammatory remark the other night at Zuko's Court Dinner, made a very convenient appearance twenty minutes ago, and have led me into a small, locked room. Forgive me if I'm not feeling very trusting at the moment."

Kaeda's lips tightened. "This room is locked because it ensures us utter privacy." She gestured at the walls. "There are eyes all over the palace. There are eyes here, but they are all mine. If you or I took one step out of that door, we would be back into the realm my husband controls, and believe me, it is not a very comfortable one for the topics that I wish to discuss with you."

Katara's breath slowed. "And what might those be?"

The noblewoman paused for a moment, as if debating something. And then her own chin lifted, strong and proud. "Revolution."

The waterbender stood.

"Hear me out," Kaeda said, in a tone of voice that made it an order and not an appeal. "I'm talking about a revolution within the upper circle, the Fire Lord's Ministers and the elite." Her smile this time was almost ironic, although it was no less brutal. "I'm not talking about revolution against your precious Fire Lord himself, although I hear that there's already one."

"How do you know about that?" Katara found herself asking, before wanting to hit something. Great, Katara, she thought. Just walk into her bluff. "I-I mean, they're just bandits..."

"Please," Kaeda looked disdainful. "No one is buying that story. Not to mention, even if I didn't have my sources, no one is stopping the refugees from talking about men in Fire Nation uniform with the most _interesting_ chant. Men like an old farmer with a Painted Lady amulet around his neck, who also spoke about a spirit with blue eyes."

"Pauzon," Katara whispered after a moment of stunned comprehension. "But how?"

"He had a private meeting with the Fire Lord not long ago. I can lead you to him, if you like."

Katara's head spun. "But if it was a private meeting..."

She inhaled deeply, trying to calm herself. So Pauzon was in the city, and had even managed to make it to Zuko's presence. That was a good thing. She could focus on the positive connotations before she even wanted to think about the negative ones. Her deep breath brought a whiff of smoke into her lungs from the single flickering torch set into the wall, and she found herself blinking, and then coughing.

"Water?"

Katara grimaced. She desperately wanted some, but she was also feeling paranoid enough right now that she wasn't sure whether it would be laced with poison. Why else would the Minister's wife have just blandly admitted she had someone spying on_ Zuko's private meetings?_ "No thank you."

An almost predatorial look flashed across the other woman's face, and then it was gone. "Have it your way. But yes, I do have access to that information, and I have access to a lot else besides. And I can give it to you if you promise yourself to secrecy now, and agree to listen to what I have to say."

Katara hesitated.

"Come on," Kaeda murmured. "Haven't I intrigued you?"

"Yes," the waterbender admitted grudgingly. There was no reason for lying in this regards. "But I still don't understand what you..."

There was a panicked knock on the door.

Within one second, Kaeda had arranged herself to look completely, arrogantly nonchalant even as she swept herself up and turned the key in the lock. "Yes?"

Katara stood too. There was a wide-eyed, panting messenger on the threshold, with eyes only for the imposing woman in front of him. "E-excuse me, my Lady... Someone said... they'd seen you with Lady Katara. Do you...?"

A rush of alarm hit her. "I'm here," she said, stepping forwards. "What's wrong?"

"The Fire Lord... throne room... poison... they've called for the Royal Physician and the other Waterbender Healer and..."

Katara's heart leapt. She didn't feel herself moving to the door or pushing anyone aside, she just _moved_. She was almost out of the quarters when she heard desperately running steps behind her, and a surprisingly desperate cry.

"Lady Katara!" It was Kaeda. "Do you promise?"

Katara didn't think. She didn't have time. "I promise!" she cried back, and then ran.

* * *

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A while ago, I promised a lot of my dear reviewers that I'd at least think about posting shorter chapters up. Then I went to Europe. I'm back home in Australia now, so I really have no excuse, so here is the first of hopefully a long stream of shorter chapters that will eventually lead to this story becoming complete. I can't apologise enough for the wait, so I won't start. Instead, I'll just thank everyone again who is still sticking with me, even with the long waits and intermittent chapters. Thank you. Thank you.

-Shadowhawke


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